Phil hiking Grand Gulch,Utah with Llamas
Phil Brennion has been working within the American Craft movement for over 38 years. He began with rustic furniture designs before moving into the world of sculpture and woodturning. During the first 10 years, Phil primarily designed furniture and sculpted, moving through a myriad of learned techniques. A chiropractic accident in 1982 left him with partial paralysis and an inability to continue making furniture as he did before. This new challenge led to the world of woodturning. He has never looked back.
As a longtime resident to Arizona, Phil’s southwest accents and pueblo designs helped to popularize woodturning during the 1980’s. Phil has the instinctive ability to produce works that are sculpted beautifully and allow for the god given quality of the material at hand not to be overpowered. Making art that is wonderful to look at and pleasing to touch is key in his mind. He allows what many may see as faults in the wood to be the basis of his turning.
Through the years, Phil has had the good fortune of being a frequent contributor and consultant for WOOD Magazine. He was the past president of the American Association of Woodturners and was instrumental in starting two chapters for the AAW. A frequent lecturer and demonstrator at regional and national symposiums, woodturning has taken Phil from Florida to Alaska, Arizona to British Columbia. Phil’s skills as a teacher and educator were shared with students at Yavapai College where he taught for five years and was named Innovative Teacher of the Year.
Originally injured in 1982, Phil has fought through 9 major surgeries, ending in quadriplegia in 2007. He continues to fight a physical battle to regain his mobility and return to long hours in his studio woodturning again. For the time being he is writing, producing woodturning templates, adding to his southwest wood collection, and is in the process of directing his first woodturning video.
These are just a few highlights of a very long and esteemed career in wood. Although, Phil is first to step into the shadows, not into the limelight, teaching his two children to turn and hearing students say that woodturning has changed their lives for the good are the true highlights of his career. To him, those are the moment in a long career that makes an artist’s spirit smile.