Born in Doncaster, Philip studied art and design at Mansfield College of Art before moving to Bradford college of art and design where he specialised in painting, illustration and printmaking. On graduating he moved to London and began painting fulltime. He was selected for the BP Portrait Award, winning third Prize in 1990 and First Prize three years later. He is a regular contributor to public exhibitions, notably participating in ‘Painting the Century, 101 Portrait Masterpieces’ held at the National Portrait Gallery in 2000-01 and ‘Reality’ at The Sainsbury Centre and Walker Art Gallery in 2015. In 1995 Philip was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint Sir Anthony Dowell, the director of The Royal Ballet.