Benno Philippson

Graduating from the University of Illinois as an architect with an emphasis in design, Benno Philippson realized that he had taken so many art courses that he was only two credit hours short of an Art Major! He was introduced to all sorts of media, but the one he liked best was watercolor. His pencil sketches and ink washes made his medium very fluid after doing value studies in pencil, marker, pen, and ink.

Benno writes: “Teaching is sharing what I have learned with students of all ages. For a number of years, I taught introduction to architecture to students in grades 2 through 5 in the Architecture in the Schools Program sponsored by the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. We included history, drawing, structure, and city planning.

Every two years since 2008 I have taught a two-week summer course at La Romita School of Art in Umbria, Italy. We spend most of our time sketching in towns large and tiny, plus studio time at the school.

Travel memories in small sketchbooks are transformed into value studies to make paintings. This is a joy for me to do. Abstractions of various subjects also give me great pleasure. Watercolor is a medium where one is always learning. There is about it a fluid creativity. Making something beautiful with color allows me to recreate what I see. Just the process of understanding what happens when water is added to color in all its many variations gives me a whole range of tools for extemporaneous fun on paper.”