My professional Interview was done on a Detroit Artist I met as an artist group was trying to form at Brother Foster’s place over on Grand River called the Serengeti. Another Detroit Artist known in the fashion scene as Brother “z” Arzel was hosting meet and greets in an attempt to get poets and writers, jewelry and sculptor makers, painters, photographers, fashion designers and musicians together to discuss art in Detroit, the community and so on. Phil White makes furniture; he is a sculptor, a digital photographer. He fuses organic and industrial objects and images. He described himself as a funky-industrial-organic-digital-fusionist and you will see why.

       My professional interview wasn’t necessarily a question and answer session, although questions were asked, it was more of an explanation of Phil’s artwork, what it means and what he hope he conveys with his art and where do he thinks the future of art is going? The interview took place at his home studio where he now uses as his workspace and gallery (He was a member of the artist group over at 4731 Grand River). He had cooked up some Tilapia fish which he used his very own seasonings and greens he accented with tomatoes and opinions. He is one of those artists who practices what he preaches. A fellow funk-a-teer who so graciously dubbed me a copy of one of his P-funk concerts that was displaying on a far off corner tub. He offered water, juice or wine and we got down to business.

   Before I get started I must note that I was first introduced to Phil through a Detroit photographer named Ifoma who also had a studio at 4731 Grand River. I walked into Phil’s studio and was blown away, the serving trays he had on the walls made of real wood serving trays with these explosive images of vegetables (from his garden) and fruits, images of African statues, and flowers. Then there were these living room and dining room tables and chairs, see through glass tables with pond-looking images floating images of Black leaders and figures, some had quotes from black figures, artist and entertainers. The clocks were gorgeously shaped. The clock stand was made from tree limbs and trunks and stoops, they were made from rocks and boulders and water hoses, or hoses from a car or truck (but you would have had to been told what they were). Candleholders decorated with shells and images standing tall. He had light fixtures with the image of African statues to sports figure and musicians to cartoon characters. 

        The interview started with me sitting near his computer and him showing me images that he created that my have started from a picture taking out at Belle Isle, or a dish rag, garbage bag, shirts and then evolved into something else. His images are like portals to me you can be taken someplace else. Phil’s digital photographic images has already been invited to two different showings (he ask my advice on some). His images on the serving trays, kitchen tiles etc. he said, the main reason was to get into our people psyche. To help ward off some of the images of a Mc Donald’s and other not so healthy restaurant images that are forced upon us. He wanted to help ward against the problem were facing with obesity and diabetes. He has also been the subject for an interview by students majoring in art from Wayne State University which he informed me that they were all white women (just amazed in this day and time and maybe their were other groups represented in the class who wasn’t interested in this field trip) , some of who were suspect of his works If he had in fact made or done the work (turned out fine the teacher had brought cheese and wine).

            Q:  My first question to him was, why the transformation from the wonderful sculptors and furnishing to the wonderfully awesome digital prints?

          A: well I always did digital prints; those are the imagages inside of the clocks, on the serving trays, inside the tables. But I had a couple of my serving trays in the gift shop at the African American Museum and I had went to pick one up and was looking at the images of strawberries that was on the serving tray and thought to myself how good it look. I could sell the images by themselves and not have to go through the labor of carving the wood, the work that I put into the trays. At this time people aren’t spending what the labor is worth you know.

Q: What got you into art?

A: well at a young age I had an art class and I molded some clay into a fist and painted it black that was my first showing of interest, but as I got older, I was off into sports pretty heavy and art fell into the background. It wasn’t until 911 when my position as an automotive refinish representative was eliminated on the 20^th of Sept. at 9am. It was time for me to go deep within myself and pull out all of my creative resources that had been lying dormant for years. While going on my early morning walks I started noticing nature and the art that already exist within and how this society is a throwaway society/culture, from tennis shoes to people it seemed nothing had value anymore. That when I decided to combine found objects with the art of nature and recycle them into functional works of art. Using the knowledge gained on the job I use modern technology to fuse together elements that are normally not seen, such as million year old stones with car parts, to driftwood and many things in between and now branching off into this digital photographic art.

Q: These juices, creative juices?

A: I know where I come from you know, my father was a musician, my grandfather was a photographer, my great, great-grandfather fought and survived the civil war that took place on April 12, 1864 in Tennessee off the banks of the Mississippi River, he lived to be 108 and he lived without healthcare. I am in tune with my ancestors and received my purpose, creating is my job.

Q: Is creating how you sustain yourself?

A: Yes, (laugh) I probably would still be working as a rep, had it not been for the economic hard times that hit after 911.

               Then we had a long discussion on 911 and what it meant to us and laughed at how we shared the same thoughts and feelings which had seem to echo throughout our friends in the black art field. One of the last questions I asked him was where did he think art, the field was going in? And he replied by looking back at his computer screen, then back at me and said digital. The value, the validation will have to be reasserted, just like with music. You know back in the day musicians will have orchestra in the recording booth horns and background singers now all that can be accomplished sitting in a car you know with a computer, digital. Tools and technology I’m on the wave of this digital form. It is like for the past umpteen years over in Africa how they can mass produce cravings and things sell it from there for fifty cents or so and the purchaser come here and sell for hundreds. It is happening now, “we can’t put the hot sauce back in the bottle”. And who gets to say what some art is worth, you take a trunk that Tyree painted a circle on and say it is worth ten thousand or you see an image that is aesthetically pleasing and don’t want to pay anything for it?!? That is why I didn’t call myself an artist for years, the confusion surrounding the industry. I was looking through the paper and saw a Picasso that looked like shit and they wanted thousand for it, just because it was Picasso crazy, the value and validation has got to be reasserted.

        The interview ended with me walking away knowing that although my art is something very different from what it is that Phil does that if I truly have a passion for it to stick with it and let that voice inside of me help to aid me in my decision. Keep taking that time out for my art, for my passion and that the industry is open and will always be open for creativity. Phil’s artwork is an inspiration to me of what we can do, not only for artistic, but for nature, the planet and not compromise the true beauty of “her” (nature/ourselves).