Maria Phillips
"I love bringing my imagination to life."
"I have many different hobbies, from sewing, to baking, learning Japanese & Mandarin, and such. I've also tried many different art mediums, acrylic painting, digital painting, etc. My love for many different things inspires me to explore new ideas and try new things.
"My favourite mediums are oil paints for landscapes, and Faber & Castell Polychromos colour pencils. They bring to life my love of fantasy worlds, and adorable animals through pet portraits.
"I currently work full time as an Accessories Designer for Bioworld International, that sells to high street stores, such as Primark and Sainsbury's. I love my job, and that I get to explore the new possibilities of AI, using it to render my working CADs to photorealistic images.
"I created the Serenity Gallery as a way to not only showcase and sell my work, but to share the experience with my friends and family, who want to do so as well. In this way, we can all be part of the Serenity Gallery artist community."
Ian Phillips
"We are only ever limited by our own imagination."
"I'm a design engineer by trade, specialising in mechanical design in the automotive world. As a hobby, I like to come up with my own ideas and turn them into physical creations. I believe there's a designer in everyone, but not everyone knows how to bring their idea to life or develop it into something real.
I often take inspiration from things I watch on YouTube, but sometimes the ideas just pop into my head. I turn it into an idea, then develop it into a better idea, and eventually a brilliant one. I work out a way of creating that object, whether it's 3D printing, woodworking, or metalworking. I use quality wood such as oak, cherry, and mahogany, as well as free pallet wood. And with 3D printing, there's no limit – it can be decorative, functional, or even just for fun.
I print a lot of toys for my grandkids, or novelty ornaments for my family – things like figures, puzzles, or games. I recently made a bird table with a slate roof – there was a wooden stump in the garden, and instead of cutting it down, I made use of it. Now I get a lovely mix of blackbirds, robins, squirrels, and even a few fancy pigeons!"