THE ARTIST'S LIFELONG DEDICATION
Phillip Clements is a dynamic and imaginative artist based in Mount Gambier, South Australia, whose creative vision has left a vibrant mark on the region’s cultural and visual landscape.
Born and raised on Sydney’s northern beaches, Phillip’s earliest creative memories include spending weekends with his grandfather, Stan Clements—a talented artist in his own right. At the age of four, Phillip was already mixing paints and assisting his grandfather’s students amid the seaside light of Manly Vale, absorbing lessons in colour, form and expression from a formative age. Those coastal memories—sunsets, surf, shimmering waves—would become part of his visual vocabulary, even as his artistry matured and evolved.
Artistic Style & Approach
Phillip’s style is eclectic: grounded in realism but liberated by imaginative motifs, vivid colours and layered techniques. He often uses acrylics as under-layers and builds texture before adding oils—particularly when working on large-scale outdoor walls with challenging surfaces.
His home in Mount Gambier even became a living canvas—every room themed, painted floor-to-ceiling, with glow-in-the-dark elements and immersive detail.
The effect is both bold and intimate, merging muralism, fine art, and experiential environments.
Community Engagement & Teaching
Phillip doesn’t just create—he shares. Through his venture Clements Artworks he offers plein-air sessions, live-art events, teaching opportunities and commissions for local businesses and organisations.
He sees art as a tool for community conversation—to animate blank walls, to spark memories, to honour local stories. His Bowls Club mural was praised not just as a painting but “a collection of memories for people” by its commissioner.
Why His Work Matters
- Local Identity: Phillip takes blank or forgotten urban surfaces and turns them into vibrant, place-specific artworks.
- Storytelling: Through his murals he honours history, landscape and community memory rather than applying generic imagery.
- Accessibility: His public murals and open-studio practices make art visible and approachable for everyday people.
- Experimentation: From glow-paint fantasy rooms to textured outdoor walls, he’s constantly exploring new techniques and surfaces.
Looking Ahead
From transforming commercial façades to guiding emerging artists, Phillip’s journey is ongoing. He remains invested in making Mount Gambier not just a backdrop for art, but a canvas in itself—where public space meets creative ambition.
IMPRESSIONIST LEGACY AND TRAINING
His style reflects the grand Masters of the impressionist era, Monet, Pisarro, Sisley, Renoir, and Degas, and as a professionally trained artist and under the guidance of his grandfather who was himself a famous artist, active through the 1930s spanning political protest, children’s storytelling, and visual satire, the Legacy continues into the third generation of the Clements family. A turning point came when Phillip moved with his family to Mount Gambier in South Australia. Immersed in the region’s limestone geology, lush lakes and community consciousness, he embraced his role not just as an artist but as a visual storyteller of place. He began transforming commercial walls and public spaces into immersive, large-scale murals. For example:
- A dreamy pastel beach scene on the exterior wall of Arena Sports Store.
- A commissioned mural titled “Valley Lake Views” for the Mount Gambier Bowls Club—created in oil and acrylic over 172 hours, it evokes the vista from the Centenary Tower over the region’s lakes. These works reflect Phillip’s commitment to weaving local identity and personal expression: every piece is infused with detail, narrative and a sense of place.