Tooney Phillips was born in London in 1967. She studied art at City & Guilds of London Art School where she was taught printmaking by Jason Hicklin. She was awarded the Norman Ackroyd Prize for Etching (2010) and the Harriet Anstruther MA Prize for Artistic Excellence (2010).
Her interest in printmaking developed from an ongoing fascination with a limestone quarry in Provence, France - observing its transformation initially through photography and then also through drawing. Phillips has been documenting this space for the last 30 years. She develops this source material using various printmaking techniques in her studio in London.
Tooney has exhibited widely. She was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize (2011). Recent exhibitions include a solo show at the Foundry Gallery, London (2018) and representation at the London Art Fair with The Drawing Works. Tooney is also an architect and teaches at University of East London and Westminster University.