About Philip O Behymer

Photography courtesy of the Behymer Trust.

Philip Behymer was a man of art; a man of canvas and paint. The hyper-realistic style that he became known for is both stark and stunning. Dark and unforgiving, but extremely tender. As was the man.

Born in Pocatello Idaho in 1936, he was the son of a railroad foreman and an antique dealer. He was a rough child with a quick temper and an easy smile. Early aptitude in art was given the mild encouragement of a hobby, but in a world recovering from the harshness of the Great Depression, it was not a future.

Philip graduated from Pocatello High School in 1954 and went directly into the US Air Force, serving as an airman. The military proved a poor fit and he left to attend Idaho State University, where he enrolled as a pharmacy major. While there he met art instructors John Davis and Ray Obermayr, who recognized his talent and interest. Their influence, friendship, and guidance changed the course of his life and opened the way for him to pursue his true passion. He switched his major and, in 1968, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts.

Philip was a wild, hard, and self-assured young man, who moved through life with a kind of frenetic energy that was both magnetic and despicably selfish. He was handsome and talented and easy to fall in love with; but harder to live with. While attending Idaho State University, in 1964, he met Roberta Joan Howard, the woman who would be his 3rd wife. A fellow student in the art department, she was strong, clever, and immediately drawn to the artistic partnership. Her 3 sons; Kirk (6), Kevin (4) and Ken (3); came as a ready made family and threw Philip into a fatherhood role that he willingly undertook. Philip and Roberta married that year and she became the love of his life, his constant companion, and his muse.

In 1966, Philip and Roberta transformed half of their family home into the Something Else Gallery, a space to show and sell their own work. It was enough to pay their bills while they finished school.

In 1968, they welcomed their first daughter, Heather. It was a difficult year, as growing anti-hippie hysteria culminated in a call for “Kick the Beatnik in the Seatnik Week” in Pocatello. The young family fled the threat of violence and moved to Eugene Oregon. There Philip attended the University of Oregon where he received his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in 1971.

Teaching positions were hard to find and the family moved constantly, looking for opportunities to show and sell art. In 1978 Philip came to El Paso Texas and got a teaching position at El Paso Community College. The school was building new facilities and creating new curriculum, and Philip leapt at the opportunity. Here his family finally had some financial stability, and he was able to pursue his art.

Philip painted almost every day for the next 40 years. Creating some of his best work culminating in “Man is the metaphor” a symposium and art exhibition in 1983. Followed by the “Artist Series” 1983-1988. His portrayal of Roberta’s passage through cancer was captured in “Love song for Roberta” 1988.

Roberta died in 1988 and Philip never remarried. He continued teaching at EPCC until he retired in 2004. He loved his students and was extremely proud of “The Stairwell Project.” He continued painting and drawing until his health no longer allowed him.

Philip died August 18, 2013. He was never commercially successful during his lifetime. He traded and gave away more paintings than he sold.