About the Artist
Phyllis Northup, artist, teacher and avid outdoorswoman, has a BA in Fine Arts and over 30 years of experience teaching art in school and community settings. Working primarily in watercolors, Phyllisʼ art is inspired by nature, especially landscapes of national parks. She and her husband, a national park ranger, have lived and worked in some of Americaʼs most beautiful places, which has given her enormous inspiration for creating new works of art. Phyllis hopes that through her paintings and teaching she can help others more fully see and appreciate the beauty of the natural world around them.
Artist Statement
Recognizing the creative spirit in my young soul, my grandmother gave me a beginnerʼs set of oils when I was seven years old, and my parents provided lessons so I would know what to do with them! Thus began my love affair with all things art! My BA in Fine Arts was just the beginning of a lifetime of learning and growing as an artist and art teacher.
Having married a National Park Ranger, I have had the good fortune to move all over the country and live in some of our nationʼs most spectacular places. My “backyards” have included the soaring majesty of the Tetons, the ever changing awe inspiring Grand Canyon, the stark beauty of the Big Bend desert, the beaches of Cape Hatteras, the flowing water and limestone cliffs of the Buffalo River, the gentle mountains of Shenandoah and the misty ridges of the Smoky Mountains.
Now, at the pristine jewel of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I am surrounded by incredible beauty and the spirit of Lake Superior, which inspires me on a daily basis. Although I am still teaching some community classes, I am enjoying this opportunity to focus mainly on my own work as a studio artist.
I have absolutely fallen in love with Lake Superior, with her spirit, her beauty, and her energy. I just canʼt get enough of this lake! Paddling my kayak along her shoreline, swimming in her waters, hiking and exploring the forests nourishes my soul and feeds my creative spirit. When I am out in the park, on the water or in these incredibly beautiful north woods, I see everything around me with the eyes of an artist,
Paddlers Playground
Superior Stones
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