John-Paul Philippe, an artist and Henryetta native, designed this steel sculpture for the entry of the Barney's New York flagship store in Dallas.
Patterned by nature
by: JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT World Scene Writer
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
It was a coin toss between Florida and New Mexico.
Fate — or just plain ol' gravity — picked Santa Fe for John-Paul Philippe.
"I literally just flipped a coin," said Philippe, a Henryetta native, who moved to Santa Fe after a year or so in Dallas.
That was before the popular tourist destination was what it is now. Before Philippe went to London, then New York. Before he became an artist — a painter and designer — whose work is clamored after by individuals and businesses around the world.
You could say it all started at the Tulsa State Fair — but more on that in a second. Philippe's artistic bent was nurtured in his high chair.
"I would give him M&Ms, and he would start sorting the colors," said his mother, Virginia Broach, who lives in Tulsa. He'd eat each color individually and "save the brown ones for last."
She bought him private art lessons in Henryetta starting at age 8, when he submitted one of his works to the fair — and won sweepstakes in his age group.
"And a check for $25," said Philippe during a phone interview from his home in Connecticut.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Philippe worked for Neiman Marcus in Dallas, drawing fashion, he said. A year later, a coin brought him to New Mexico, where he focused on his drawing and painting.
That preceded his move to London, though, which really broadened his horizons, exposing the young artist to more influences, he said. Twenty-something years later, he returned to the United States, settling in New York.
Don't confuse "settling" with static. From his studio in the heart of Soho, Philippe works with other professional artists on myriad projects, from architectural and furniture design to murals, sculptures and handcrafted woodwork.
Ever been to a Barney's New York store? You may have seen his work, as Philippe created handmade, back-lit fixture designs, murals, curtains, screens, scrims and sculptures for each Barney's flagship store in the United States and Japan. His work at the one in Dallas' NorthPark Center is a 40-foot steel piece at the store's main entrance on Boedeker Drive.
Asiana Airlines headquarters in Seoul, Korea
One of Philippe's largest installations was for the new Asiana Airlines headquarters in Seoul, Korea, he said. The new sculptures were installed during the construction of the building, and combine the spirit of aeronautical design with the movement of the surrounding landscape.
Nature rarely seems far from Philippe's design aesthetic. After all, he grew up in a rural environment, ensconced in nature.
"I was one of those who always tried to see shapes in clouds, shadows," he said. Or he'd notice the patterns and colors on soap suds in the kitchen sink.
Many of Philippe's creations are based on organic forms in nature, he said. That's evidenced in photos of his work on his new Web site, J-Pinc.com, the launch of which corresponded with the completion of the Asiana Airlines installation.
Philippe's other works include designing for private residences and, one of his earliest commissions, a seaside chapel in the Dominican Republic. And then there's that horse his mom told us about.
It was a "huge, fascinating piece" she saw of his at the Boston opening of Barney's New York, Broach said — a horse made out of coat hangers.
She asked her son how the idea to do that occurred to him, she said. " 'I used to do that all the time as a child,' he told me.
"I was such an over-protective mother," she said — surely she wouldn't have let him do that with metal hangers.
Apparently, he did it in his closet, Broach told us, laughing.
She loves the work he's done for Barney's, but Broach has a special place in her heart for Philippe's earliest pieces — his paintings as a youngster.
"He doesn't like them anymore," she said, "but they're my favorites."
Philippe probably won't ever retire, he said. But he may work from his barn at his Connecticut residence.
"I'd love to carve wood, and I wish I had more time to do ceramics."
As busy as he is now, though, picking between the two might have to come down to a coin toss.
Nature rarely seems far from Philippe's design aesthetic. After all, he grew up in a rural environment, ensconced in nature.
"I was one of those who always tried to see shapes in clouds, shadows," he said. Or he'd notice the patterns and colors on soap suds in the kitchen sink.
Many of Philippe's creations are based on organic forms in nature, he said. That's evidenced in photos of his work on his new Web site, J-Pinc.com, the launch of which corresponded with the completion of the Asiana Airlines installation.
Philippe's other works include designing for private residences and, one of his earliest commissions, a seaside chapel in the Dominican Republic. And then there's that horse his mom told us about.
It was a "huge, fascinating piece" she saw of his at the Boston opening of Barney's New York, Broach said — a horse made out of coat hangers.
She asked her son how the idea to do that occurred to him, she said. " 'I used to do that all the time as a child,' he told me.
"I was such an over-protective mother," she said — surely she wouldn't have let him do that with metal hangers.
Apparently, he did it in his closet, Broach told us, laughing.
She loves the work he's done for Barney's, but Broach has a special place in her heart for Philippe's earliest pieces — his paintings as a youngster.
"He doesn't like them anymore," she said, "but they're my favorites."
Philippe probably won't ever retire, he said. But he may work from his barn at his Connecticut residence.
"I'd love to carve wood, and I wish I had more time to do ceramics."
As busy as he is now, though, picking between the two might have to come down to a coin toss.
Click here to read the interview online.
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