Artist Bio
"The purpose of art is to provide what life does not." -Tom Robbins
Art in Short... My intent for future study is two fold. First I need(not want, I'm unhappy doing anything else) to get a job working in art in some way shape or form. Second is to explore one of the disciplines of Printmaking, Drawing, Painting or Sculpture for a masters of fine arts degree. I include all of these disciplines because I recognize the competitive nature of graduate programs and I am willing to pursue any open field of study to obtain my degree. Maybe that lofty goal of "Degree" is a bit conditioned but it's been a big fat carrot at the end of my stick for a long time. Eventually I'll have it. I'm sure it will be anticlimatic but it's a goal I made long ago. Plus those monolithic institutuions willing to pay for teachers want a paper that says someone else thinks you jumped through the right hoops. My overiding goal is to be proficient and learn advanced methods in any of these aforementioned areas. My past experiences and background demonstrate my capacity to learn new elements of study to continue developing and become the artist and teacher I wish be one day.
I pursued and obtained a comprehensive Bachelors of Fine Arts from Western Illinois University in two major areas of study, Sculpture and Printmaking with a minor area of study in Life Drawing. Life Drawing credits were nearly sufficient to have 3rd area of major study when I graduated. Upon graduating, I worked a full time job in addition to working part time for Glasslake Studio for three years. During my time with Glasslake, I was learning the fundamentals of glassblowing from Barrie Bredemeier in trade for free shop assistance on my behalf. Since that time I work on my studies of drawing and painting on my own time, producing 15-20 paintings per year.
My biggest asset in art is my sheer enthusiasm for art. I can swim in it, eat it, nearly taste it, and on a steady diet of art, I produce vast quantities of work. I was amused by my teachers reactions as to my capacity to PRODUCE (I don't mean that in a condescending way either. It was a point that was harped on for a long time in undergrad eventually developing into a faculty joke about 'that Drew student'). In school I was sitting in on three other drawing classes a week outside my normal class schedule to use the life drawing models in addition to my own life drawing classes. I want to get back to that point again.
