Jungle Phillips - International art gallery - 558 Marion Road, Plympton Park
I started in 1978 when my older brother Steven committed suicide in front of me.
I went to Dandenong asylum and a guy said draw what you see.
Before that I really loved art.
I was raised in a very bad environment. My dad drank a lot and bashed me up a lot of the time. Art at that time wasn’t considered very good.
I loved art. I always wanted to be an artist.
I started drawing in 1978.
Then I came down to Adelaide.
I started to draw at night time after work and a nurse started to buy my drawings. I did a little painting. A friend of mine that I was working with gave me some art books and I started painting, but I did a lot of drawing.
I came to Adelaide to escape from an alcohol and drugs life when another borther committed suicide.
Then I met Tony White who went to the school of art and got me painting.
I’ve been painting since 1992.
I had an accident in 1992 and I became prolific as I was painting for a living.
I lived up the road from the cabinet makers and they had a lot of wood. I collected the wood and started painting.
My message is hope, love trust. People have to have hope.
