Phil Lewis Art: Spirit Animals Series and Fish of the 2nd Chakra

Hello friends, Ilaria here, welcome back to Collection Monday!

What do you see when looking at landscapes and animals? I see the beauty of nature, but I cannot really look beyond what I see and this is probably one of the reasons why I am not an artist.

Today I want to introduce you to an exceptional artist who has a deep connection with nature and found a unique way to represent it through his art: Phil Lewis.

Phil Lewis

Phil Lewis is a Colorado-based artist. He grew up in Lake Tahoe and Colorado, where he built a strong relationship with nature that still influences his work. From a young age, he saw shapes and colors when looking at animals and landscapes and felt an urge to expand what art could do and how people could experience it. His art reflects his perception of nature and is characterized by intricate combinations of multiple shapes and a vibrant palette of colors reflecting the deep connection he has with nature.

Are you wondering how Phil Lewis landed in the numismatic world? This is an interesting story! His adventure began when Drew Bloomberg from MTB Metals found one of Phil Lewis’ children’s book in his daughter’s nursery and was struck by Phil’s original works of art! This led to a brand new collaboration between Phil Lewis and PAMP, that so far has produced the breathtaking “Spirit Animals” series, made of three coins, and “Fish of the 2^nd Chakra”.

Grizzly Bear

“Grizzly bear” is Phil Lewis’ first project in the precious metal collectible market and the first issue in the “Spirit Animal” series.

This coin is made of 1 Oz of pure Silver and has a beautiful and vibrant coloration. The reverse has a unique design featuring Phil Lewis original artwork and is shaped like the head of a Grizzly Bear.

The artist has always been fascinated with bears and with how they are able to go from resting to a full speed sprint in just a snap when they spot a salmon across the river. Phil Lewis was successful in capturing this moment on this incredible design. He started by drawing a bear on the paper just using a pencil and letting the ideas flow. He then scanned his drawing and brought it into Photoshop to fill in colors, lighting and shading. The result is a fantastic piece of art!

Electric Fox

The second issue in the “Spirit Animals” series is “Electric Fox”, a beautiful 1 Oz Silver coin whose predominant colors are red, yellow, orange and a vibrant electric blue. The coin is shaped like a Fox’s head and the design captures the energy and the electricity that the artist felt when he met a big red fox. As Phil Lewis told, some time ago he rented a cabin to escape the frenzy of life and focus on nature and art. During his stay at the cabin, he saw almost every day a beautiful red fox: the two of them would look at each other for a while until the fox would turn around and disappear. These brief but intense encounters left in the artist a sense of deep connection and interconnectivity with the fox, that he defined “electricity”.

“Electric Fox” is my favorite coin designed by Phil Lewis, may be because it was the subject of my first video review as Social Media Manager for Power Coin, but besides that I think that Phil Lewis has done an incedible job representing what he felt when looking at that fox in the eyes! When looking at the Electric Fox’s eyes I feel the same sensation that he must have experienced and this gives me goosebumps! 

Bison

The third and final coin in the “Spirit Animal” series is “Bison”. The coin has the same features of the previous ones and represents a Bison’s head as seen by Phil Lewis. Unfortunately, curiosities about this coin have not been released yet by the artist and at this moment I am impatiently waiting to know what is the story behind this piece of art!

At this point, I think you understood why this collection is named “Spirit Animals”. Phil Lewis’ deep connection with nature led him to realize how lucky we are to experience the world and share it with amazing creatures that live in the wild. Sometimes it feels like we are worlds apart from nature and animals that are far from our daily routine and sight, but if we share the same space, we cannot be so different after all!

Fish of the 2nd Chakra

“Fish of the 2^nd Chakra” is part of the second amazing collaboration between Phil Lewis and the Swiss PAMP and introduces the artist’s interpretation of the 7 Chakras.

Chakras are energy centers of the human body that correlate to physical, psychological and spiritual states. They serve as our connection to the energy and frequencies that surround us. When these energy centers are open and balanced, we achieve a higher state of consciousness, accept change and growth and become the best version of ourselves!

Each of the Chakras has a specific shape, color and imagery that can vary across different religions and teachings. The ancient ideology of the 7 Chakras has inspired Phil Lewis as an artist, who realized his own depictions of all of them.

So far, only one coin has been realised in this series: “Fish of the 2 ^nd Chakra”.

The Second Chakra or Sacral Chakra is located below the belly button, is commonly associated with creativity, sensuality and emotions and is responsible for our stability in relationships and our sense of connection to others. As the center of our feelings, the 2nd Chakra is often represented by the flow and flexibility of water.

“Fish of the 2^nd Chakra” coin portrays two elegant Koi fish entwined in an aquatic dance of balance within the cycles of change. The coin is struck from 2 Oz of pure Silver, has A High Relief and a custom shape. The Koi fish on the reverse are characterized by multiple shapes interconnected and a vibrant coloration, where yellow, red and orange are the predominant colors emerging from a vivid blue background. Each coin comes with the Certificate of Authenticity and has been individually serialized.

Are you looking forward to seeing Phil Lewis representations of the other 6 Chakras? I can’t wait to see them!

Collect, Invest, Enjoy!