About Me
This is the page where, on a normal site, artists would bore you with their educational background, exhibitions, and commissions. All of their accomplishments would be listed in great detail. While impressive, that’s not going to happen here. I might bore you, but not with my art background.
I did go to skool. I have a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Which is just somewhat less useful than an Art History degree. I thought I wanted to go into counseling, but realized my senior year that I really didn’t care about people. So it seemed like counseling might not be the right calling for me.
I have no formal training in art, though I did once receive a ticket for driving on a sidewalk downtown. So I figure that counts for something, though I am not sure what.
I did take a class in Music Appreciation while in university. And I have been to art galleries, so that gives me some background in the arts. But I have to say that my only trip to the Met was somewhat disappointing as they had no price tags on anything. Seemed odd to me, all these antiques in one place and nothing for sale?
I have had my photographs displayed in several police stations in the Seattle area. They were mostly photographs of me, some with a right profile and some with a left profile. And, no, it had nothing to do with the sidewalk incident. (Actually, this part is fiction. Call it artistic license.)
So by now you might be catching on to the fact that I have no formal background in art. Some folks might think that a disadvantage. Not me. It leaves me free to do things my own way. Think about it. How many people create artistic works in cast iron? Not many. Conventional wisdom says that cast iron is too limiting. Personally, I love the limitations of cast. And I love that cast iron can look and feel organic, with none of the sharp edges or angles normally associated with metal. Having no formal art training leaves me free to do things that conventional wisdom says you don’t do. I like that. I think that is worth as much as an art diploma.
Gayle Picken, from Gallery by the Bay, was kind enough to offer to make a video of me working on a piece in my shop. See some of the creative process — and see why I never made it in Hollywood.
The artist with (left to right) Jumpin’ Jack, Jane, Oscar, Jack and Lucy