Born 1972 in Dallas, Texas, Philley has lived and worked in Austin for fifteen years. She completed the BFA program in painting at Hunter College, NYC, in 2005 and earned a BA in journalism, 1995, from Southern Methodist University. She is the founder of the Artist Parents & Caregivers Community organization and residency, a project leader for the annual San Marcos Studio Tour, and regularly volunteers with the Native Prairies Association of Texas. Philley uses the language of nature— color, reflective light, and patterns—to draw correlations between lived environment, memory, and emotional health. Her recent and upcoming projects feature partnerships with non-profit organizations that work to mitigate climate damage through research, nature preservation, and communal activities. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center supported Philley’s 2022-23 site-specific installation of seventy vibrant sculptures along a trail in their gardens. The San Marcos Arts Commission, in spring 2024, funded a collaborative video projection that premiered on an historic downtown building. In late 2024, Philley will wrap up a three-month residency at the Wild Basin Nature Preserve with a site-specific installation. She has exhibited across the country, including Artspace 111 (Ft. Worth), Pleides Gallery (NYC), Kansas City Stockyards Gallery, and the Austin-based Dorf and Dougherty Arts Center galleries. Her paintings and collages are part of corporate collections in New York, Texas, North Carolina and Germany, as well as private collections in Texas, New York, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Minnesota, Canada and Spain.