Phyllis was born and reared in Iowa and lived in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Arizona before moving to Kerrville in 2005. She has been particularly inspired by her travels throughout the western United States and by the southwestern landscape near her former home in Arizona. Although she primarily works with clay at this time, she also paints and enjoys fiber art. Both her ceramics and paintings are focused on natural elements, especially trees, flowers and birds.

After completing a handbuilding course with J’Nil Jackson at the Hill Country Arts Foundation she began working regularly at the HCAF clay studio. Phyllis feels that the creative diversity of the artists there has enabled her to greatly expand her knowledge and skills. She has also taken lessons in carving in clay from Linda Nowell. Her ceramic work has been exhibited at the Hill Country Arts Foundation, the Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center and galleries in Boerne and Comfort, Texas.

Phyllis has been painting acrylic landscapes for over 35 years and she currently paints weekly with a group at the Dietert Center in Kerrville. She has also been spinning fibers for many years and has worked with wool, llama, alpaca and other fibers. When she lived in Arkansas, she provided a monthly spinning demonstration at Pea Ridge Military Park, a Civil War site. She knits her yarns into sweaters or other clothing items and occasionally felts the yarns for special artistic creations.

“I’m privileged to have the time to play with clay and paint to my heart’s content. I’d be lost without a creative outlet.”
.