Phyllis Purves-Smith earned a B.F.A. at the Cooper Union and an M.F.A. at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. She is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of the Arts, where she has taught since 1978, and is on the faculty for the graduate program at the New York Academy of Art in New York City. A recipient of three Mellon Foundation Venture Fund Grants, her work has been exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout the U.S. She spends each summer living at Monhegan and painting on location the surf, cliffs and rugged shore.