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eohippus all contents copyright 2007 max carmichael | why eohippus? bio contact | |
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arts portfolio: visual arts music writing events design | |
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visual arts: early art career | back next | |
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Context & Inspiration To 1970 In later years, as a young urban bohemian, I would often admire a masterful watercolor painting by my Dad, of a nighttime street scene in the jazz district of Chicago's north side, where he met my Mom in the early days of beatniks and bebop. Dad had to give up painting to support the family, but Mom now works in fine art photography. Growing up outdoors in Washington County, Ohio, I was making detailed drawings of insect larvae and depicting familar animals as characters in my own "creation myths", even before starting kindergarten. My first oil painting won a blue ribbon at the county fair. Mel Gray became my art teacher and lifelong mentor, helping me learn not just how to make art, but how to live responsibly as an artist in society. And in an isolated, conservative community, he courageously introduced students to the work of radical artists in far-away places who were exploring and extending the boundaries of art. In high school I made and sold portraits, pop art, and abstract paintings. I made impromptu collaborative works with my band, Wet Fur. I showed work both locally and in Indianapolis. I received and filled a number of commissions for abstract sculptures and mobiles made of copper. Upon graduation, I was awarded our town's only art scholarship, which had been established in the memory of Joe Archer, a blind sculptor. |
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