American watercolor artist Tammy Phillips grew up in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park, not far from where her ancestor and “cowboy painter” Charles Marion Russell had his cabin at Lake McDonald. Russell, known for chronicling everyday life in the Old American West, had a profound impact on Phillips. His legacy inspired her to record the beauty of her surroundings, filling her watercolors with people she encountered on her many travels across Asia, Europe and North America. Painting from a large archive of photographs in her studio, Philips begins each piece with a detailed drawing before mixing colors onto the paper. Sometimes, she’ll add collage papers, stamping and lifting to enhance her work.

After taking workshops through the Fairbanks Watercolor Society, Alaska Watercolor Society and Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Phillips began travelling out of town to work with artists who inspire her, including Lian Zhen, Morten Solberg and Don Andrews. She has recently moved back to Montana, where she looks forward to painting its beautiful landscapes, as well as her cityscapes.