I'm Phillip Clark, a multimedia artist and designer. I was born in Raleigh, NC in 1974 and spent most of my childhood traveling all over the US with my (Army) family.
But I mostly grew up in Atlanta, where I currently reside.
My professional journey began in 1997, when I studied art and design under the world-renowned creative, Ray Shead. A few years later I moved to Boston, where I co-founded
By Local, a group that produced numerous live art auction events and helped ignite the shop local movement. During my time with By Local I became a talent scout for emerging artists. Through these efforts I discovered and became friends with an artist named Chad Mize. Together we created Bluelucy, an uplifting art lifestyle brand. A few years later in 2003 we moved to St. Pete, FL and began a new chapter.
In 2005, I founded The Artillery, an artist collective that aimed to redefine St. Pete's cultural landscape. Under my leadership, we launched "I Love St Pete," an annual art event that celebrated local creative talent. The success of this festival caught the attention of a community group that approached me with a proposal to restore a deteriorating local landmark, The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. I got to work and created "St. Pete Shuffle," a weekly Friday night event at the courts that featured art, music, and refreshments. Not only did this endeavor restore life to the club, but it also sparked a resurgence of the sport on a national level.
In 2010, I opened The Bluelucy Gallery on the 600 block of Central Ave in St. Pete. This pioneering venture showcased over 450 local and national artists in more than 40 curated exhibits. After five successful years, my presence on the block helped revive the area, causing property values to skyrocket, and rent became unaffordable. Nonetheless, my work building the foundation for a creative community was complete.
I returned home to Atlanta in 2016, where I now live with my husband, Dan, of 12 years, and my beloved Boston Terrier, Hank, who just turned 14. Today, I continue to push the boundaries of art and design, experimenting with new materials and techniques to create truly innovative pieces. My works include various mediums, such as acrylic, enamel, collage, ink, and resin.
My art has found its way into private and corporate collections and has been featured in notable spaces, including the Smithsonian Design Museum, RISD Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, and Design Museum Boston.
Here are some highlights from early on at The Artillery
St Pete Shuffle
In 2005 I was out getting a bite to eat in St Pete, wearing my Artillery t-shirt, when a guy came up to me and said he had heard about me and what I was doing. He asked if I would get my food to go and have lunch with him at the shuffleboard club. I was intrigued and so we met there and talked. Meeting Chris Kelly that day lead to a collaboration that changed the future of the shuffleboard club and all those involved. 17 years later it's still going strong. When I think about all the good we did, the joy we brought into the community, it's truly humbling. When I created The Artillery, I came up with the tagline, "Defining Creative Culture" – it was a bold statement for sure, but also accurate.
