Phillip Brown

I am a native of Shreveport, Louisiana and currently reside in Brandon, Mississippi. I grew up in central California and have lived in Mississippi for over 30 years. In 2018 I retired from over 40 years in aviation maintenance and aviation maintenance management.

Growing up I loved discovering the mechanics of how things worked and making things from wood, but I never dreamed I would be considered an artist. I have not had any formal art training, I am self-taught; my formal training as a certified airframe and powerplant aircraft mechanic taught me the importance of attention to detail and the use of various hand and power tools.

When my father passed away in 2008, I inherited one of his lathes and thus began my passion for woodturning. I started by turning wooden pens, an interest sparked by the gift of a beautiful wooden pen from my mother-in-law years before. From turning pens, I moved to turning bowls, vases, and platters. Recently I have been focusing on embellishing my work with various textures, color, and carvings.

In 2014 I joined the American Association of Woodturners and the Magnolia Woodturners, both have had a major impact on my growth as a woodturner and artist. In 2021 I was awarded a Mississippi Arts Commission Folk Arts Fellowship in Woodturning grant and in August 2023 I was juried into the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. I have been an assistant instructor for two bowl turning classes and a power carving class at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.

Brandon, MS
Wood
Guild member since 2023