Phil became interested in art as a child living in Europe where he got to enjoy the great masters in the museums of Italy and Germany.  His formal studies covered seven years, attending the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art, in Chicago, where he received his degree in 1981.   From the beginning, travel has been an important part of providing his collectors with a wide variety of subject matter.  Traveling several times a year to paint has allowed Phil to grow and mature as an artist.

From early on his interest took him to many parts of the West and Southwest, where he soon grew to love the culture and the landscape.  "The goal is to paint so the viewer can appreciate the beauty of the scene and "see" it through the artist's eyes," says Starke.  Phil feels this is a way of connecting with a busy public -- a public that may not take the time to stop and realize the beauty around them.  "If I've done my job right, anyone looking at my work will be able to feel the emotion and mood of the moment and will want to spend some time with the piece -- taking in all the things I had to say."

Selected Exhibitions & Awards

Settlers West Great American West Show 2001 thru, 2006, Tucson, AZ
LaQuinta Art's Foundation Desert Plein Air 2001, LaQuinta, CA
Buffalo Bill Art Show 2001 thru  2006, Cody, WY
2001 Carmel Art Festival, Carmel, CA - Honorable Mention
Settlers West Summer Show 2001 thru 2006, Tucson, AZ
Oil Painters of America 10th Annual Nat'l Juried, Palm Desert, CA
Settlers West American Miniatures Show 2001 thru 2006, Tucson, AZ
Gilcrease Museum Miniature Show 2000 thru 2006, Tulsa, OK
Plein-Air Tucson 2000, Tucson, AZ - Judges Favorite
Plein-Air Tucson 1999, Tucson, AZ - Judges Favorite
Berger Sandzen Museum, Lindsborg, KS
The Artist's Magazine 1999 Art Competition - Finalist Winner
Arts For The Parks Competition 2002, 2004Jackson Hole, WY -
           Top 100 Award of Excellence
Louisiana Art & Artists Guild Show, Baton Rouge, LA - First Place
The American Artists Professional League Grand National, NY, NY
American Artists Magazine Winner's Exhibition, Denver, CO
Knickerbocker Artists Annual Open, New York, NY
Pastel Society of America, Inc. - 24th Annual Open, NY, NY
Internat'l Exhibit for Pastels, Wichita, KS - Patron Purchase Award
National Small Oil Exhibit, Wichita, KS - Patron Purchase Award
Whistle Pik Galleries Christmas Invitational 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
Painting the Parks Estes Park, CO Plein Air 2002, 2003
Villas & Verandas Two-Man Exhibition, San Juan Capistrano, CA - 2002
El Presidio Miniatures in the Mountains, Ruidoso, NM, 2005, 2006
Legacy Gallery Western Art Walk, Scottsdale, AZ, 2006
Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters 2004 Signature Members & Invited Guests  Show, - Tucson, AZ
California Art Club Gold Medal Show 2004, 2005, 2006,Pasadena, CA
Mountain Oyster Club Western Art Show and Sale 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
      Tucson, AZ - Mountain Oyster Club 2003 Collection Purchase Award
Wild West Art Show 2006, Phoenix, AZ - Second Place Award
CM Russell Art Auction, Great Falls, MT, 2004, 2005, 2006
CM Russell Miniature Art Show, Great Falls, MT, 2006

Affiliations

California Art Club (CAC)
Oil Painters of America (OPA)
Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, Signature Member (RMPAP)

Publications

The Independent, Kansas City, MO - 1986
American Artist Magazine - 1989
US Art Magazine - 1990
UPDATE Magazine - 1990
Topeka Capital Journal, Topeka, KS - 1995, 1998
The Blue springs, MO Examiner - 1995
The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO  - 1990, 1992,
          1995, 1998, 2000
Kansas City Magazine, Kansas City, MO - 1996
The Taos News, Taos, NM - 1998
The Lee's Summit Journal, Lee's Summit, MO - 1998
Hospitality Design Magazine - 1998
Designer's Showcase 30th Anniversary Magazine - 1999
Southwest Art Magazine - 2000
Art-Line Arizona - 2000
The Artist Bluebook - 2000
Southwest Art Magazine - Feature article & Cover Art -
       November 2001
Southwest Art’s Art Source 2002 Collector’s Travel Guide
Southwest Art Magazine - February 2003
Southwest Art Magazine - February 2004

Corporate Collections

Nordstrom Department Stores - Seattle, WA
United Missouri Banks - St. Louis & Kansas City, MO
Manufacturers Hanover - Chicago, IL
Telesonic Systems, Chicago, IL
The Coleman Company - Wichita, KS
Bank IV - Wichita, KS
Arthur Anderson - Kansas City, MO
American Century Mutual Funds - Kansas City, MO 
Wesley Hospital - Wichita, KS
Overland Park Historical Society - Overland Park, KS
Hadley Foundation - Hays, KS
Hadad Restaurant Group - Kansas City, MO
PB & J Restaurant Group - Kansas City, MO
Marriott Hotels - UT
Ernst & Young - Kansas City, MO
Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, KS
Polk County Museum, Bolivar, MO
Mountain Oyster Club Collection, Tucson, AZ
Medi-Flex Corp., Kansas City, MO