Finding Inspiration in the Quiet, the Birds and Even the Moths

Although his name sounds French, John-Paul Philippe is actually a native of Oklahoma, someone who understands a rugged rural life. Perhaps that’s why he’s so at ease in a splendid but rustic cabin in Sharon, Conn., where he lives and works when he is not in New York City. 

The cabin is small, clean and quirky. His artwork includes paintings, murals and what he describes as large-scale interior design elements for stores such as Barney’s New York. He also makes lighting, furniture and … bird perches.

The birds are a recurring theme at the artist’s Sharon home, which he said was a  bird sanctuary before he purchased it in 2006 (he moved to Connecticut full-time five years ago).

The property very much reflects the interests of its owner, with its handcrafted parakeet aviary, a large teepee, a chicken coop guarded by a tin can scarecrow. 

Most intriguing, however, is the artist’s studio. The workspace is a screened-in porch that extends directly off of the main house. Natural light floods the small enclosure during the day. Darkness dims it during the night. 

But to Philippe, the lighting is his most considerable quibble. 

“The light coming in is green, and I don’t want it to be. But eventually, I’m going to blot the color out in my studio. It’s just too dominant.”

Light is not his only nature-induced issue. Recycled cans, rolls of burlap and other materials stockpiled from the past that Philippe utilizes in his art — along with his unfinished pieces — are vulnerable to the elements. So, depending on the forecast, Philippe must rearrange his studio on a regular basis.  

Nevertheless, there is still much of his workspace the artist takes pleasure in.

“I enjoy its plainness and simplicity. I have a longtime infatuation with Japan, so I’m sure that aesthetic has filtered into my surroundings.”

Unexpectedly, the COVID-19  quarantine allowed Philippe more time to enjoy the simplicity of his studio, in solitude. 

“It intensified the work. I loved that it was quiet and that there weren’t jets, you know, that the sky wasn’t tracked. That at one point there was no traffic; the race track wasn’t buzzing down there.

“It seems like a dichotomy, but I am a ‘social hermit.’ I enjoy being in my own company.”

Looking up at the sky on a July day, the artist observed a swarm of gypsy moths, whose caterpillars destroyed acres of trees in the region this year (Sharon was one of the towns that was hardest hit).

“Right now, I’m raising cecropia moths,” Philippe said. “They’re not harmful like the gypsy moths. I’ve been inspired by how they chew the leaves and how they’ll eat a leaf and leave the veins. It has affected the shapes I’m interested in right now. It’s often something like that, in nature usually. Like bark on a tree.”

Books that John-Paul Philippe recommends

“Here are my 3 favorite books.”:

• “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau

• “In Praise of Shadows” by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki

• “Green Mansions” by William Henry Hudson

Artist John-Paul Philippe works in his simple Sharon, Conn., studio, inspired by the nature that surrounds him. One recent piece, behind him in this photo, captures the way that caterpillars chew leaves. Photo by Sadie Leite

John-Paul Philippe’s home/studio in Sharon, Conn., settles unobtrusively into its natural environment. Reporter Anabelle Baum, at right in photo, asked questions for this interview on the informal lawn. Photo by Sadie Leite

Artist John-Paul Philippe works in his simple Sharon, Conn., studio, inspired by the nature that surrounds him. One recent piece, behind him in this photo, captures the way that caterpillars chew leaves. Photo by Sadie Leite