Дэвид Филлипс признан чемпионом штата Южная Каролина за вклад в развитие творчества

September Carolina Champion: David Phillips, South Carolina artist Columbia, S.C. (WACH) — For David Phillips, art is about much more than what ends up on a canvas. The South Carolina artist has spent decades using his passion for drawing and painting to help others discover their own creativity and find their artistic voice along the way. Phillips' love for art began at an early age, inspired by his grandfather in a small town in New Jersey. That passion followed him to South Carolina, where he graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School as a member of the class of 1964 before serving in the U.S. Navy. Even as a young man, Phillips' future seemed tied to art. His high school senior class prophecy described him as an artist to the last. At the time, Phillips wasn't convinced. "They wrote my senior class prophecy that David Phillips is an artist to the last, and I thought that's stupid," Phillips said. "I think I want to be a doctor." More than six decades later, his work has made that prophecy look remarkably accurate. For more than 20 years, Phillips led About Face, a portrait and figure-drawing group affiliated with the Columbia Museum of Art. What began with just five people eventually grew into a community of dozens of artists eager to learn and create. Phillips believes the value of art extends far beyond the finished painting. "Art is important because it leads to everything else," he said. He has taught artists of all ages, from students discovering their talents for the first time to adults well into their 90s. Today, Phillips continues sharing his knowledge through weekly art instruction at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community in West Columbia. His philosophy is rooted in the idea that creativity is something people are born with not something they have to be given permission to pursue. "We're all born knowing how to draw," Phillips said. "And we get that run out of us by people who say, 'Oh, you shouldn't do that. Do it this way.'" Phillips' paintings have taken him across South Carolina and beyond, with his work reaching places including Newberry, Aiken County and St. Simons Island. But for Phillips, his greatest impact may not be measured by the paintings he creates. It's measured by the people he inspires to pick up a brush, put pencil to paper and discover what they can create for themselves. For his decades of teaching, creating and encouraging others to embrace their creativity, David Phillips is being recognized as this month's Carolina Champion.