Philip Trusttum attended the University of Canterbury’s Ilam School of Fine Arts during the 1960s. His alternative style was encouraged under the teaching of Rudolf Gopas, who himself was in favour of unorthodox methods of art training.
Trusttum developed an Abstract Expressionist style, concentrating specifically on the materiality of paint and the process of painting. He often used paint squeezed directly from the tube and with only a small amount of mixing.
The artist relies heavily on the unconscious, rather than preliminary sketches to bring about a work. He has moved through a number of phases in his career, some of which are difficult to place in terms of a clear evolution of style.
