It’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
The artist learned his form at the University of Delaware late in life. His pursuit of his childhood passion that could not be obtained in his youth was realized after his retirement as a banker. His passion for artistic practice and constant desire to create beauty followed him all his life.
Artist Statement
Nature is an amazing thing; all things are intrinsically connected. Everything from living organisms to inanimate objects has a purpose in supporting one another. Everyone takes comfort in seeing and feeling the natural ingredients that form life. The unpredictability and the freedom of nature which creates life is where I draw my inspiration for my art.
In the beginning, my favorite approach to creating art was oil painting: copying nature, which is a cliché for beginning artists. But in doing so, the work led me to my most successful projects which transitioned to sculpture. The new medium I learned to use was the new form to imitate beauty while providing a subtle representation of thoughts of irony.
Experimentation is wonderful and I learn so much which leads to an improved form of art. Exploring new subjects, learning about them, and understanding the different elements is incredibly liberating. To work in a box using one medium would be too confining for me. I am learning to become an artist for the freedom to create something new.
My current work is experimenting with elements that I have not worked with before which is especially exciting and difficult. While frustration is common, the satisfaction in new knowledge gained is proving to be valuable. What is important to me is not for projects to be well-received but to understand how to manipulate the element to be successful in future endeavors. Sometimes, the most successful project comes from accidents of experiments gone awry.
People always ask me which artist I aspire to be and who influenced me the most. My answer has always been, “I don’t know.” I always make art based on what I feel and use the medium that makes the most sense to me and is available. I do not look at famous artists’ work for research or inspiration, I get more than enough inspiration from nature and life. I look at their work for sheer beauty and my pleasure.
One of the professors that I studied under said, “If you don’t know what your choice of medium and discipline is within your junior year, you are doing something wrong.” Those were misguided words. For me being an artist is a journey to explore and experience life in its rawest form. I may be a sculptor today, but I was a painter yesterday and may become a filmmaker or photographer tomorrow.