Philip Juras’s paintings express his desire to both explore and understand the patterns of the natural world. His love for nature and art began during his childhood in Augusta, Georgia, eventually leading him to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990 and a Master of Landscape Architecture in 1997, both from the University of Georgia. His MLA thesis examined grasslands that flourished in the southeast before European settlement, a subject that continues to inspire his artwork. Now living in Athens, Georgia, Philip explores the rich aesthetics of a wide range of ecologically intact natural environments. His recent projects include Georgia’s barrier islands, fire-adapted landscapes of the Southeast, tallgrass prairie restoration in Illinois, and the páramo and cloud forests of the Colombian Andes. To depict these subjects Philip combines direct observation with study of the natural science and history of the place. The resulting images invite the viewer to step through the picture plane and experience the natural world beyond.
Philip has had solo exhibits at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Illinois State Museum; the Telfair, Morris, and Marietta-Cobb museums in Georgia; and the Biblioteca Virgilio Barco in Bogotá, Colombia. He has published three books in conjunction with his exhibits, one of which won a Georgia Writer of the Year award. His work has been profiled by Garden and Gun, The Bitter Southerner, Minding Nature, Georgia Alumni Magazine, Athens Magazine, radio station WTTW, and other media, and he has been the featured speaker for numerous events. Since 2009, Philip has volunteered as a wildland firefighter type 2, or “ecoburner,” with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy.
Also see: In Media
