Change, Risk and New Beginnings with Anita Phillips

Anita Phillips is a West Australian landscape painter raised on a Wheatbelt farm, who spent close to four decades as a home economics teacher before painting became her full-time focus. In this conversation she talks about selling her Perth home, resigning from teaching, and moving to the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong and what she expects to change, and not change, in her and her work once she's away from the landscape she's painted for most of her career.

Anita talks through how her practice has developed and shifted over time, the role travel has played, the residencies that sparked real change in her, and how drawing and journalling became central to her process alongside painting.

She also discusses the role of her circle of artist friends have played throughout her career and how those friends have supported her, mentored her early on, and given her the confidence to make this move. She also talks about the mentoring she sought out earlier in her career, and about the wider artist community she's built through Instagram and residencies.

Find Anita Phillips here on instagram and here : anitaphillips.com.au

Anita has an upcoming exhibition titled 'Shaped By Weather' with Michael Reid Southern Highlands from 17th September to 18th October 2026

Mentioned:

• Carly Le Cerf : here on instagram and here carlylecerf.com.au
• Julz Beresford: here on instagram and here julzberesford.com
• Lauren (Elise) Kennedy: here on instagram and here laurenelisekennedy.com.au
• Sophie Perez: here on instagram and here sophieperezartist.com
• PS Art Space (PSAS):here on instagram and here psas.com.au
• Michael Reid Southern Highlands: here on instagram and here michaelreidsouthernhighlands.com.au
• Brisons Veor, Cape Cornwall (residency) — brisonsveor.org.uk
• WASPS Scotland (residency organisation, Skye and Shetland) — waspsstudios.org.uk
• Sydney Contemporary here on instagram and here sydneycontemporary.com.au

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