By Eva Cai

“Don’t stop whatever you do.”

Meet Maddy Phillips, our talented Grade 12 visual artist. Maddy grew up in a family of artists, with her dad focusing on watercolour and her mom of rosemaling, a Norwegian style of decorative painting.

As a Collingwood lifer, Maddy spent significant amount of time in art classes. Her favourite part of school is drawing. In every single aspect of her life, Maddy is influenced by creativity. As she quipped, “once I entered high school, I started to [value creativity more].” Maddy strives to put her energy on developing ideas. Because of her strong passion for art, Maddy has “jumped at” any opportunity to get involved with art, be it a school project or an extracurricular activity. Maddy spent a summer at Emily Carr Summer Institute for Teens, focusing on digital photography, and volunteered for Artists for Kids, an art program, and took some classes herself.

As Maddy and I both agreed, art is a very broad spectrum and means different things to every person. “The term ‘art’ doesn’t really mean anything to me because it’s always been there. It isn't something that you can be grateful for, as art has and will always be around you”.   To Maddy, art can be the simplest things in life, “It's in the lines in your palm and the clouds in the sky, not just museums or exhibits. As long as you believe that something is worth noticing, it's art.” As such, there is not just one single thing or person that inspires Maddy - everything inspires her, be it people, paintings, emotions, or moments. Maddy also enjoys viewing works by Fred Herzog, Henrietta Harris, Auguste Rodin, and Turner. For a true artist like Maddy, it is truly the simplest things that express the most.

As for her favourite medium, Maddy surprised me with the answer – ball point pen. “I’ve done a series of large portraits in pen and I love how they finished,” she said, as she found the hidden perks of such an accessible tool, “the pen rolls smoothly and glides gracefully with what I imagine… it's what I enjoy most about my work.” Most artists I know work best with vivid colours, but Maddy is an exception. “I don't need colour to express my ideas and I don't need thick wavy lines to show gesture; I can use my pen.”

In her spare time, Maddy enjoys outdoor activities, cherishing the nature in every way possible – hiking, swimming, sailing and more. To quote her, “there's nothing like being by the ocean on a windy day.” 

Looking ahead, Maddy hopes to graduate from Emily Carr University or Ontario College of Art and Design – she is not exactly sure what subjects she will take, but as she says, that is the fun of it. “I want to constantly be creative and produce a mighty fine life while being surrounded by people and dogs I love, with the most positive outlook in whatever is ahead of me.”

An advice she would give to her fellow artists is to “keep creating and don’t stop whatever you do. If you're having a tough time, talk it through with someone or go for a walk. Sometimes your thoughts and how you treat them can influence how you create, good or bad. So whatever you do, don't stop creating.” It is evident that Maddy has blended her outlook on art with her outlook on life. For a passionate artist like Maddy, everything can be an inspiration, and the most accessible tools can be the best medium to express herself. We wish Maddy all the best as her creative road continues to unfold in front of her.