I
know it sounds obvious for an artist to say this, but . . . I create. That's
what I do. Sure, the bulk of my work is painting murals, but that's not my only
creative outlet. In fact, just today I took a silver dinner fork and turned it
into a stylish cat. It's a gift for a friend.
All
this started with my mom, who was very creative in a crafty kind away . . . you
know, refrigerator magnets, Christmas ornaments, that kind of stuff. My own
creativity started with building plastic models of mostly racecars from the
track located just a few miles from where I grew up in Southeastern
Pennsylvania. At one point, in the late 60s to late 70s, I began creating pen
and ink drawings of the same racecars and even sold them all over the Northeastern
United States. However, it wasn’t until I moved to Florida in the early 90s
that I really got into all kinds of creativity. It was after I was hired
to work in a local art factory. It was there that my eyes were opened to what
could be created in the art world. I started out doing screen-printing and
airbrushing and then later I worked on paintings using all sorts of media . . .
watercolors, acrylics, oil paints, and pen and ink. We even created steel plate
etchings and handmade papers. After two years, I went out on my own. First I
assisted a local sculptor in addition to creating hundreds paintings for cruise
ships. It was around that time that I discovered the decorative arts.
I
had been sharing an art studio with a friend who did work for local interior
designers. When she would decline a job she thought too difficult, they would
hire me to paint the custom canvas floor cloths and murals. Over the last
20 years or so, I have painted hundreds of murals, canvas floor cloths and
paintings for private collectors and businesses. But I have found that my true
love is painting outdoor murals. Specifically, murals we all know as ‘public
art’. When I am painting outside, whether I am on a lift, on a ladder or on the
ground, and public can watch and interact, it’s almost like being on stage. I
discovered that the interaction with the public is one of my favorite parts
about painting murals.
The
other thing I like to do is paint site-specific murals so I can make sure it’s
more than just a pretty picture on a wall. I prefer that the work has some sort
of meaning, a reason for being there. And I'm also looking for reactions from
the viewer, hopefully, a “wow” reaction. Additionally I like to try to entice
the viewer into doing a 'double take', noticing something they did not see at
first glance. I believe someone once said, ”The devil is in the details”.
For
the last 2 years, I've been working with the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society
on several murals. The first was inside the fire station there, where I painted
two large murals. I'm currently in the finishing stages of another, this one
outside, called “Ladies Remembered”. This fall, I'll be working under a bridge
over the Peace River along the Harbor Walk, working on a mural that will sort
of look like you can view aquatic life through the base of the bridge.
And
in between all that, I keep creating, whether it's making something out of a
silver fork, my photography or graphic design. It's what I do.
Oh,
and one more thing. Look for the red string. It's in almost all my work, it's
my 'mark'. I've been including that for about twenty years.
This
is Week 11 of Artists
Tell Their Stories. To connect with Skip and see more of his work, please
visit the following links:
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