Phyllis was born on Ivanhoe Station in Western Australia in 1944. Her mother and father worked as a station hand and a cook. Phyllis learnt to paint from her father when very young. Phyllis has lived in Kununurra all her life and has many children and grandchildren. Phyllis has been painting since the mid 1990's. She did not start to paint until her children had all grown up and left home.