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Steve Minton:
Steel & Wood
Sculptures
I just thought of a name that describes my artwork and also incorporates the way
I feel about it. The words I've chosen are, Mystical-Paradox. Mainly because I
feel a Mystical connection with work I create, I don't always feel it
immediately but I always feel it during the process. For instance, you're
looking at the Dirty Dancing sculpture, that represents only one step in the
dance, with a little imagination and a small belief in magic you can see the
next step. Sometimes I get this image in my head, usually from a dream, either
at night while I'm sleeping or equally when I'm just daydreaming, or a self
directed dream. While I'm working on a piece I can get an urge to do something
paradoxical or contrary relating to the piece I'm working on.
I have spent forty years as an auto mechanic, working on everything, from VW
Bugs to Maserati Sebrings. I have no formal art training, the first oil painting
I did was the centerfold from Playboy when I was Viet Nam in 1967.I continued
painting while still in the Marine Corps, which was about another five months.
Most of what I did was unremarkable, it wasn't for lack of ideas, it was a
search for some discipline in what I wanted to express. I had no interest in
modern art or some of the amorphous stuff I was seeing.
I did take one night class at the University of Vermont with Hanlin Davies. I did one sculpture for an assignment he gave, and the next class I brought in an oil painting I'd been working on when I was discharged from the Corps, and he said it had the feel that it was too hard to do. He said I should try to make it look less complicated, to give it the impression it was easier and less work to do. Then the next thing he did was put me on independent studies. This was a great ego booster but, what I needed was a lot more discipline, especially after the time I spent in the Marines. I kept doing some artwork, there were to many distractions during these times (sex,drugs and rock&roll) for me to do any serious training in the art area. Most of what I did I gave away. Up until a few years ago I hadn't done much. After a major operation I had in 1999 I went into a deep depression and started painting again and when I was strong enough, I started on the Joan D'Arc piece.
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