Independent Arts News Reporting 
Pictured Above: “Phillips’ Mill” by Jay McPhillips. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Impressionism with a Dash of Wit: Inside Jay McPhillips’ "Paintbox" - a new look at Sunsets, Bridges
By: Chrysa Smith
From bold color to playful wit, painter Jay McPhillips brings the Pennsylvania Impressionist spirit into today — and this year, his work takes center stage at the renowned Phillips’ Mill 96th Juried Art Show. In this feature, writer Chrysa Smith explores the art, humor, and inspiration behind his work.
Jay McPhillips has been a painter for two decades. But the Philly-born artist says he’s been an art lover since he was a child. “Art always interested me. I enjoyed drawing as a kid and even took some summer art classes at Moore College of Art (Philadelphia) around 3rd grade,” he says. Now there are well over 400 sold paintings, and more to come.
“I paint all the time,” says Jay. “I’m not super-fast—about 3-5 days on a smaller painting.” He says he’d like to be a bit faster, but as anyone who looks at the details in his paintings can see, it’s hard to imagine less time is of the essence. That is, unless you’re coming up on a juried show or on a timeline to move your work into galleries.
Pictured Above: “Union Street Halloween” by Jay McPhillips. Photo Credit: Contributed.
The artist says his work was greatly influenced by the Pennsylvania Impressionists. According to Jay, “I moved back to the Bucks County/Lambertville, NJ area 20 years ago (after a stint in Manhattan and Princeton), and got very into the Pennsylvania Impressionists. Their work seems a bit more originally American/folky than European Impressionism or the Hudson River School of Art in New York. He likes the term ‘pleasantly haunted’ in reference to some of his work. “I find it interesting if a painting has a moodiness/mystery to it. The Tonalist painters did this (Late 19th Century technique using dark or misty colors).”
Some of his favorite painters include Fern Coppedge, William Lathrop, Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber and George Sotter; more current inspiration artists like Myles Cavanaugh, Robert Beck, Robert Barrett, Annelies Van Dommelen, Jenny Schaeffer, and I expect, he could go on-and-on. “I like to capture scenes of buildings with people. Sometimes capturing a place with a vibe is great.” One of my favorites from his website is ‘Sunset on the Bridge.’ It depicts the New Hope/Lambertville Bridge with all its foot traffic crossing from artsy town to artsy town. It reminds me just how many times I’ve traveled on that bridge, both by car and on foot. Other paintings include those depicting some favorite locales to Delaware Valley folks, like Cape May, the Delaware River, rowers on the Schuylkill, in addition to beautiful regions to the north, including Boothbay Harbor, Maine. He says one of the things he likes hearing from viewers is how much they’d like to be in that painting. Jay adds, “It’s much better than hearing that’s an awful painting.” Clearly, he has a keen sense of humor.
Pictured Above: “Panoply” by Jay McPhillips. Photo Credit: Contributed.
He’s mainly an oil painter, sometimes canvas, other times mini acrylic. He references his own photos and says he paints a few plein air. “Sometimes I reference a client’s photos if I’m unable to shoot it myself,” he adds. As for his color palette, Jay says he finds it challenging. “Originally I painted in shades of grey oil paint just to get used to painting. It can be overwhelming with all the possibilities. I still vary my palette. I know other painters who will stick to a specific palette, which can make a group of paintings work very well together on the wall. I can be a bit more of a mixed bag at times.” Those familiar with his work say he uses bold color and humor mixed with a pinch of originality.
As with many a creative person, the road to his calling has not been a straight one. He actually studied engineering, if only for a little while, just to end up graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communications. Yes, the first love is always there. He jokingly said commercial art would allow him to eat and pay bills. Apparently, it did. “Handling lots of criticism in commercial art may have helped me later on.” I suppose that’s where ‘art critics get their sometimes-controversial reputations.
Pictured Above: “Lambertville Station” by Jay McPhillips. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Jay went on to work in the advertising industry in New York City, working on major accounts, including Coca-Cola. With extremely long hours, sometimes 80 hours per week, he went on to join the staff at Comedy Central—only to spend 25 hours a week commuting. “I painted a bit while working in New York. Doing graphic design was helpful with my painting though. Thinking about color and other aspects of imagery was a good thing. And I think having a sense of completing a project in a particular time frame was helpful.” He went on to become a graphic designer for Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre—an introduction to the stage, if not a closer commute.
Making the jump from commercial artist to full-time painter was a process. “I would work an advertising design job, save up money and then quit so I could try my own ideas.” This involved screen printing t-shirts, painting, humorous books, comics, even stickers.” In fact, if you visit his website which hosts his currently available work (JayMcPhillips.com), you’ll find both his beautiful paintings as well as some of his more humorous work. I particularly love his homage to Pennsylvania—a pencil graphic above the word “VANIA.” I need one of those. He also did one for Lambertville and Princeton. You can use your imagination on what visuals were used there. An author as well, he wrote a few books several years ago, which he said were a ‘compilation of ridiculous doodles and notions.’ He says, “Imagine 200 bumper sticks and goofy short stories. Currently, I’m creating my 2026 calendars of paintings; one for New Hope/Lambertville, and one for Princeton.” All available on his website.
Pictured Above: “Pencilvania” by Jay McPhillips. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Of honor right now, is the selection of his Phillips’ Mill painting as the ‘Signature Image Artist’ for the 96th Annual Juried Art Show. “My painting of the mill is definitely in the tradition of the Pennsylvania Impressionists. I’m honored to have my painting of Phillips’ Mill as the Signature image. This is where many of the original Pennsylvania Impressionist lived and worked.” The painting is inspired by an event he attended there.
At his home-based studio, you’ll find him working on multiple projects—including commissions. “I have created paintings of people’s homes, businesses, and pets in many a setting. Just last month I traded paintings for stays a nice hotels in New Hampshire and Maine—a shout out to Smuggler’s cove.” Told you he has a sharp sense of humor.
You might say New Hampshire and Maine hold a special place in his heart. When he left NYC the first time, he moved to Portland and took painting classes at The Maine College of Art. “I happened to know a friend who’s a descendant of Edward Redfield. I was able to stay in Mr. Redfield’s Maine home last summer. I was hoping to soak up some good energy. And this is true. As I went to bed there on my first night, the shade flew loudly up the window on its own. I was startled but thought it might be a joking wink from Edward. I felt like a Downeast summertime Ebenezer Scrooge. That’s all to say, I’m very inspired by those Pennsylvania Impressionists.”
Pictured Above: “Swan Bar” by Jay McPhillips. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Jay McPhillips’ current offerings of paintings can be found both on his website, www.JayMcPhillips.com , and the products of his comical side can be found at Amano Gallery in Lambertville, Homestead Princeton, The Doylestown Bookshop and Monkey’s Uncle in Doylestown.
As Bucks County’s longest-running juried art exhibit, The Phillips’ Mill Juried Art Show runs each fall. This year, you can catch Jay McPhillips’ signature painting on display from September 20th through October 26th. More on their website: https://www.phillipsmill.org/art/juried-art-show.
