FEATURED ARTIST   -  November 2005

Philip Jaeger 

Phillip Jaeger has always been a maverick, never content with the norm, always poking around the edges looking for another way. It is this very approach to art and living that makes Jaeger’s work profoundly memorable. Born in Louisville, Kentucky to a career Army officer, the artist lived a nomadic life in his early years. From 1966-1968 he studied Foreign Affairs at FSU. In 1968 he transferred to Wharton, where he worked his way through as an OTC trader. After moving to California, Jaeger received a degree in American Studies and a lifetime teaching credential. He then studied law at Pepperdine University where he was awarded a law degree.

Despite his accomplishments in Law and business, it was not long before he became restless and discontented. It was Jaeger's lifelong passion for collecting art which led him to the studio. In 1981, he rented the atelier of a Tamarind Master Printer and the rest is history. He is not only self-taught, but quite proud of the fact, “By not having to un-learn what many have been taught in art school, I have been able to move through many art processes with no apology for breaking the rules.”

Beneath the timeless serenity of Jaeger’s work, seemingly unyielding shapes are softened and then energized by his masterful use of color and texture. In the hands of Jaeger, what would otherwise be static comes fully to life as both vital and organic.

Jaeger is often quoted as having said that the real work of a piece of art does not occur in the eyes, but rather behind them: “catching and holding the viewers attention the second time the eye comes through the image, is truly the measure of it’s visual quality.”

Nature III	Nature's Passion I