RON HENGGELER

July 15, 2021
Housemate Tom Phillips was a Commercial Artist, Western Artist, and Native American Artist

I've recently begun archiving and cataloging the photos, sketches, documents, and other ephemera of one of my housemates, Tom Phillips. I met Tom in 1974, and knew him until he passed away in 2005. Tom, who was part Chickasaw Indian, began as a commercial artist, and became a leading and well-known painter of Western Art, in addition to being a acclaimed Chickasaw artist.

I recently scanned over 400 photos that Tom had taken through the decades. These old photos are the only documentation of his lifetime's body of work. Unfortunately, these photos of his oil paintings, watercolors, colored-pencil drawings, and pencil sketches, are only 4 inches square. Many of the photos (from the 60's into the mid-80's) are missing their titles, and almost all of them are of very poor quality. None of the photographed works of art in his album have dates, and nearly all of them are discolored from age. Despite these issues, I've salvaged a number of the photos from this collection, and I am presenting them here.

By the 1990's, Tom was using a better camera, or having his newly finished paintings professionally photographed. As can be seen in this small collection, Tom's finished works from the 1990's until 2005, including all his Chickasaw History oil paintings on canvas, were photographed professionally by outside sources. A recent search online indicates that Tom's early watercolors and pencil drawing are selling for $1,000 to $2000.

invaluable.com

Tom Phillips 

1927 - 2005

Two pages from Tom's album of photographs, recording his body of work from the 1960's into the mid 1980's.

Each photograph is 4 inches square.

Two pages from Tom's album of photographs, recording his body of work from the 1960's into the mid 1980's.

Each photograph is 4 inches square.

The front cover illustration by Tom Phillips for:

Western Horseman Magazine

July 1961

Front cover illustration by Tom Phillips for:

The American Hereford Association

 

The front cover illustrations by Tom Phillips for:

Purebred Yorkshire Directory & The Future Cattleman

Front cover illustration by Tom Phillips for:

Western Horseman Magazine

June 1961

The front cover illustration by Tom Phillips for:

The American Hereford Association

January 1971

Front cover illustrations by Tom Phillips for:

The American Hereford Association

January 1,1985 & January 1, 1967

The front cover illustration by Tom Phillips for:

The American Hereford Association

December 15, 1964

Front cover illustration by Tom Phillips for:

The American Hereford Association

June 1977

 

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1997

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1987

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1986

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1987

Photograph of cattle branding

by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Photograph of a chuck wagon

by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Photograph of cattle branding

by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Photograph of cattle branding

by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Photograph by Tom Phillips

Cattle branding

n.d.

Photograph of a chuck wagon

by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Photograph of a chuck wagon

by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1985

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Dr. Marion Eugene Emisminger

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1985

Presentation of the portrait of Dr. Marion Eugene Emisminger to the Saddle and Sirlion Club Portrait Gallery Louisville, Kentucky

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

November 17, 1985

Oil on canvas portrait by Tom Phillips

Name and date unknown

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1986

Two pages from Tom's album of photographs, recording his body of work from the 1960's into the mid 1980's.

Each photograph is 4 inches square.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1985

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1984

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1987

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

1979

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1990

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1997

Servicio Postal Mexicano

El Oso Negro

Servicio Postal Mexicano

El Oso Negro

Two pages from Tom's album of photographs, recording his body of work from the 1960's into the mid 1980's.

Each photograph is 4 inches square.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1984

Mr. Albert K. Mitchell

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

1971

Pencil drawing by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1983

Johnny & Tom Smith

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

1971

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1983

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

1999

Oil on canvas by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Pencil drawing by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Oil on canvas board by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Self-portrait

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Two pages from Tom's album of photographs, recording his body of work from the 1960's into the mid 1980's.

Each photograph is 4 inches square.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Watercolor by Tom Phillips

n.d.

Taking Council Before the Hunt 

Oil on canvas, 1989

For more about Tom's work with the Chickasaws, visit:

Native American artist Tom Phillips

Which Arrow Killed the Buffalo? 

Oil on canvas, 1993

Ambush of Custer 

Oil on canvas, 1993

Chickasaw Removal

Oil on canvas, 1995

For more about Tom's work with the Chickasaws, visit:

Native American artist Tom Phillips

First Encounter 

Oil on canvas, 1995

Warrior's Departure 

Watercolor on paper, 1992

Chickasaws Rout De Soto 

Oil on canvas, 1996

Blackfoot Storyteller 

Oil on canvas, 1992

For more about Tom's work with the Chickasaws, visit:

Native American artist Tom Phillips

Shortly before Tom's passing in 2005, he had begun work on a children's alphabet book. He was fascinated with the historical origins of each letter in the alphabet. In drafting this book, he began to express what his years of research had discovered.

Here are the beginning pages of his unfinished book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Phillips 

1927 - 2005

To learn more about Tom, and his work with the Chickasaws, visit:

Native American artist Tom Phillips

 

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The images oon this site are not in the public domain. They are the sole property of the artist and may not be reproduced on the Internet, sold, altered, enhanced, modified by artificial, digital or computer imaging or in any other form without the express written permission of the artist. Non-watermarked copies of photographs on this site can be purchased by contacting Ron.