Phillip Henry Glise

I was born in California in 1944. My dad was a First World War veteran. He and my mother had moved from Arkansas to work in the shipyards building Liberty Ships. As WWII wound down, they returned to the area near Memphis.

My formative years were spent there. As early as the second grade, I felt I was an artist at heart. When I finished high school and started college, I met my first important artistic influence—Harris Sorrell, a young, talented sculptor from the South.

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He was an immediate inspiration and encouraged me to travel to St. Louis, Chicago, and New York to visit art galleries and museums. Everything was exciting and wonderful.

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A divergent path appeared in the form of a draft notice to report for service in the U.S. Army. I entered as a private and would retire as a colonel thirty-six years later. This was not all bad for my artistic development—I traveled the world, visited museums, and met artists in other countries.

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After an extended tour of duty in Vietnam, I decided I needed to finish my college education. It was 1972, and there was no future in the military without a degree. I never thought I would return to military service, so I picked up where I had left off in 1966.

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I was reacquainted with my mentor, Harris Sorrell. I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts at the University of Memphis. I had the honor of being Harris’s TA (teaching assistant) for three years. Working with him was a boon of luck, inspiration, and invaluable experience.

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Upon completing my master’s degree, I headed to Atlanta for my first art teaching position. In 1980, I felt a growing desire to be around soldiers again. I joined the Georgia Army National Guard and became a weekend warrior.

 

Meanwhile, I continued to advance my artistic endeavors with several meaningful commissions.

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Everything changed in October 1989, with the Gulf War and Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait. I found myself preparing for war once again.

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The 48th Infantry Brigade was the only National Guard brigade-sized unit to be evaluated as combat-ready. This became the largest call-up of a guard unit since WWII.

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It took almost a year to fully stand down the unit from mobilization. I was extended in my federal service to conduct an after-action review for presentation to Congress. During this time, I continued to work on commissions and exhibit in galleries in Memphis and Atlanta.

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Uncle Sam’s pay was better than teaching or art directing. I could manage my responsibilities and still carve out creative time for myself. Over the years, sculpting became my greatest form of relaxation and healing from the memories of armed conflict. Once you’ve seen and experienced war, it stays with you. I learned this firsthand from Harris, a Korean War veteran. He was a small-town boy from Tennessee who served as a sergeant with the 24th Infantry Division.

 

After long studio hours at the university, we would discuss how combat shaped our work and how its effects revealed themselves in our art. Harris was a brilliant artist and a dear friend.

 

I retired after my final tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom II in June 2005.

 

Today, I work out of my studio in a slice of heaven just outside the picturesque town of Snohomish, WA.

 

I hope you enjoy viewing my portfolio. I’d love to hear your comments.