The show comes to an end and an artist is left with many conflicting emotions.
My solo show of recent paintings from my “Momentum” series closes tomorrow. It has been a wonderful two month run and despite the work now going its separate directions thanks to some wonderful collectors, I will miss seeing the work installed in the gallery as it was originally intended. But I move forward with a new show on the horizon.
During today’s Artist Talk I reflected on the three most pivotal points of where I began to roll together art and life into one ball of wax. I decided to offer this up as many patrons and my collectors like to know a bit more than what they read on the internet.
The first was where I was raised in northeastern Ohio, namely Youngstown. The 60’s and 70’s of my young years saw the Rust Belt’s steel mills hustling, the corn crop growing like mad and my favorite, the Poland Woods in my hometown of Poland, Ohio, was left untouched and was my 300 acre backyard playground as a kid. The Poland Woods is where I began to see the pure essence of nature in its abstract dimension. The second pivotal period in my evolution as an artist was experienced later in my 20’s as I was fortunate to have four years living overseas. This is when I feel in love with travel and the discovery of rich art history, culture, theatre, and language. The third, was my pursuit of my Master of Fine Art degree at the University of Denver, where I focused on sculpture and painting. This was a rich and powerful time of my personal development and transition into showing my work professionally and teaching on the college level.
Each painting I make today rests on this strong foundation. Each time I move forward I am grateful for the wonderful mentors I have had along the way. My own voice is stronger today and I am richer from all these years of experience.
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