Phebe Mott found the answer to that question as a teenager and since then has been honing her skills in acrylic to produce work that is not realist but is nonetheless a pleasure to view. 

Mott's work is bright and bold, and primarily features figures caught in the midst of everyday activities - at the beach, boating, taking part in a wedding.  This style is something that Mott has been developing since high school when art teachers gave her a new perspective on the meaning of what it is to be an artist.

The Hinesburg artist says she grew up believing that only a "mirror image" of a subject, a "flawless" representation, could entitle the painter to be called an artist.  This isn't an uncommon view in the non-artist world, yet for Mott that concept was underscored by her brother's talent as a realist artist.  It wasn't until high school that she began to understand that art is much more than creating a mirror image.

Since then, Mott has been exploring the world around her and sharing that view with her acrylic work.  She chooses to look at the ordinary moments of life, "moments that we don't think about," and in that way produces work that is intriguing to look at.

In her paintings, we see flashes of stories.  It's impossible not to ask oneself what happened that these people are here and what will happen next.  Mott enhances the interest by using the lightest detail, giving viewers a hint but leaving much to the individual's imagination.

In this way, it's impossible to be a passive viewer of her work: Mott's paintings require viewers to become engaged.  This is the hard part of non-realist work - a part that many non-artists still find challenging because it's so much easier to have an image presented to us in a form that requires a completely emotional response: an image with satisfying symmetry, definite form and traditional colors.

Yet even those who prefer realist work are likely to find something satisfying in her paintings.  Mott's work bursts with color that is hard to resist and her subjects tantalize with their unwritten stories.  She is clearly an artist to watch.

       - Eve Thorsen, Burlington Free Press

Resume

Education

University of Vermont, Burlington, VT; 2000; BA

Saint Mary's College, Raleigh, NC; 1996; AA

Exhibitions

Solo

VSAC, Winooski, VT; March-April 2008

Allscripts, South Burlington, VT; January-February 2008

Community College of Vermont, Burlington, VT; October 2007

Viva Espresso, Burlington, VT; March 2007

Red Square, Burlington, VT; February 2007

Amy E. Tarrant Gallery, Burlington, VT; July-September 2006

Arts Alive, Burlington, VT; June 2006

Daily Planet, Burlington, VT; February 2006

Arts Alive, Burlington, VT; June 2005

Art Hop, Burlington, VT; September 2004

Barnes and Noble, South Burlington, VT; July 2004

Group

Reflections on Basin Harbor, Vergennes, VT; August 2008 - Featured Artist

Fall Mall Show, South Burlington, VT; October 2007

Shelburne Art Center Student/Instructor Showcase, Shelburne, VT; October 2007

Art Hop, Burlington, VT; September 2007

Reflections on Basin Harbor, Vergennes, VT; August 2007

Art’s Alive Festival, Burlington, VT; June 2007

NVAA June Juried Show, Jeffersonville, VT; June 2007

Spring Mall Show, South Burlington, VT; April 2007

Fall Mall Show, South Burlington, VT; October 2006

Union Station, Burlington, VT; July 2006

Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT; December 2005-January 2006

Studio Place Arts, Barre, VT; November 2005

Art Hop, Burlington, VT; September 2005

 Awards

First Place in Acrylics; NVAA June Juried Show – June 2007

First Place; Arts Alive - June 2006

 Print

Richard Erdman: A Retrospective

ArtMap Burlington; December 2007

Burlington Free Press; December 6, 2007

2007 Art’s Alive Exhibition Catalog; June 2007

Seven Days; March 21-28, 2007

Art New England; December 2006-January 2007

Burlington Free Press; August 5, 2006

Seven Days; July 19-26 2006

Flynn Theater Marquee; July-August 2006

Burlington Free Press; July 6, 2006

ArtMap Burlington; June 2006

Burlington Free Press; June 10, 2006

Seven Days; June 7, 2006

Seven Days; September 21, 2005

Seven Days; September 22, 2004

Film

Between the Lines: Richard Erdman, A Sculptor; Emily Lau, producer; March , 2008

Presentations

UVM Women at Noon Series; September 27, 2007

 Professional Memberships

Board of Directors, Northern Vermont Artist Association; Burlington, VT

Burlington City Arts; Burlington, VT

Vermont Crafts Council; Montpelier, VT

South End Arts and Business Association; Burlington, VT

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Boston, MA