34 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
do my own thing.” He describes his
experiences evocatively. “When I lived and
painted in London and New York, well, you’re
in the middle of everything. It’s so noisy.
Switzerland and Spain were less crowded,
but you were still surrounded by people
and civilisation. Costa Rica was completely
different. I was in the middle of the jungle,
with howler monkeys, sloths and toucans.
I mean, really in the middle of nowhere. I had
to drive an hour on dirt roads, in my old
pickup truck, to find good bread. There was
this talented French baker in Ojochal, which
itself was the middle of nowhere. It took me
three hours for a doctor’s visit.
“My current studio in the Noosa
Hinterland synthesises those other places
I’ve lived,” Phillips continues. “I’m in the
middle of my tropical garden. I can’t see
anyone and no one can see me. But it’s not
the jungle. We do have snakes and tropical
plants (I personally love fern trees).ButunlikeCostaRica,I likethatit’salso
civilised.RemindsmeofEurope.I canget
greatfoodinNoosa,properbreadinCooroy,
andpaint,canvasandsuppliesarealljust
aroundthecorner.Theroadgoessomewhere
andnotjustnowhere.”
Foronefood-and-artfuelledweekendin
May,allroadsleadtohisstudiogallery.
To coincidewithNoosaFood&Wine
Festival,Phillipsis christeninghisnewspace
andunveilingthePeterPhillipsCollection
via aseriesofcreativecollaborationsthat
will testifytothequalityoflocalproduce
andtalentonhisdoorstep.Thinkart-inspired
gin andprogressivediningwithcelebrated
BrisbanechefJoshLopez(ex-Goma),
alongsidelessonsinthehistoryofPopArt
withtheNationalGalleryofAustralia’s
seniorcuratorLucinaWardanda screening
of ashortdocumentaryaboutPhillips’slife.
Followingthisweekend,thespacewillbe
opentoartloverseverywhereby
appointment,withsetopeningdaysand
timestobeaddedinthefuture.
Althoughthestudiogalleryhousesonlya
smallamountofwhatPhillipshasproduced
overtheyears– hehascreatedover 1000
worksofart– seeingitcometogetherdrills
homeforPhillipshowmuchhehasdonein
thattime,hesays.“Ihavesomefavourite
workstowardswhichI feelespeciallyproud.
It’s nicetoseethemdaily.I don’tknowwhere
all ofmyarthasgone,soit’snicetohave
someoldfriendsaroundtokeepmecompany.
Andit’snicetonowmakethemavailableto
the Australianpublicforthefirsttime.”DETAILS
POP!POPART,BUBBLES
ANDCANAPÉS
Saturday 18 May
HeadtoPeterPhillips’sNoosa
Hinterlandstudiogalleryto
viewa retrospectiveexhibition
of thecelebratedartist’swork,
learnaboutthehistoryof
PopArtfromseniorcurator
at theNationalGalleryof
AustraliaLucinaWard,meet
Phillipshimself,hearstories
of hiscareerandwatchthe
debutof anaccompanying
shortfilmoutdoors.Allwhile
nibblingoncanapésbychef
JoshLopez(ex-GOMA),sipping
onproseccofromFreeman
Vineyardsandtastingcocktails
madewithlimited-releasespirits
fromNoosa’sFortuneDistillery
in collaborationwithPhillips.PROGRESSIVEPOP
Sunday 19 May
Thefollowingday,guestscan
enjoyanexclusivesix-course
menuinspiredbysixdecades
of Phillips’sworkprepared
byJoshLopez,withpairings
providedbyTorbreckWines.
Forticketsto bothevents,visit
noosafoodandwine.com.auOPENSTUDIO
After 19 Maythestudiogallery
willbeopenbyappointment,
sevendaysa week.Call+61(0)
406198300 oremailinfo@
peterphillips.comtoschedulea
viewing.Setopeningdaysand
timesmaybeaddedin the
future.peterphillips.comCLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT:
This piece from the ’ 70 s captures the
spirit of Pop Art; Phillips’s studio is
a converted industrial space on his
hinterland property; Phillips in his
studio on London’s Holland Road
in the ’ 60 s; The artist’s work spans
lithographic prints, sculpture and more.SHORTCUTS | Peter Phillips
ARTWORK:ART-O-MATIC RIDING HIGH, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS200X150 CM, 1973-74