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Andy Volpe: About the Artwork
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My
path in Art: I
like the tell people I have been drawing since I was old
enough to pick up a crayon and nibble on it. I have been
drawing as far back as I can remember. I also remember
spending time doodling in my notebooks and on my brown paper
textbook covers in school, perhaps much to the dismay of my
teachers. (But, thankfully I was always good at school earning
good grades) I
started taking private instruction around 1990-91 with
Christine O'Brien in Southbridge (L'atelier de Christine).
Along with my sister, Elaine, we started the typical structure
on learning art, starting with drawing (charcoal, pencil),
then working on painting in oils, acrylics and watercolors.
Painting was never the big deal for me.
I can do it, but I really feel at home drawing. In
High School, I was able to take some classes in Mechanical and
Architectural Drafting.
I loved it. I
really think that precision and detailed hand stayed in me as
I moved into more of the Fine Arts stuff in College. After
graduating High School, I attended Westfield State College.
(1996-2000) I graduated with a Bachelor's of Art in Fine Arts,
concentration in Drawing. I like to say my "unofficial"
minors were in Printmaking and Art History. Next
to Drawing, Printmaking is my favored medium. Within the
first week of the first class, I was totally hooked.
I really enjoy the ability to make my own copies of
my works (as I don’t like to sell original works), but also
the whole challenge of making an edition of 'identical' prints
really fascinates me. Part of the blame can be placed on the
Old Masters, such as Albrecht Durer, Albrecht Altdorfer, Uls
Graf, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranac, and Rembrandt. Learning Art History was another favored subject, and I was excited to be able to learn and try the very techniques of the Masters I had been learning about. As
you can see, Durer also inspired me to use my "AV" monogram,
based on his. I started using this monogram regularly in
2000, and it has now become my "signature". Printing
work in College consisted of Wood block, Wood Engraving,
Etching, Drypoint, Aquatint, Collograph, Monoprint, and
Lithography. (Professors Jaimie Wainwright, Pat Conant, and
Gerald Wise) But
it was Intaglio that I really enjoyed and wanted to do more
work in. After
College, I was a Teacher's Assistant at Worcester Art Museum.
I also had the pleasure of taking Printmaking classes with the
late Tom Lewis, where I learned some Non-Toxic techniques for
Intaglio; and also took classes later with Randi LeSage, and
more recently, with Eugene Charov. In
2004-05, I really started to dig into the research and
experimentation of the Old Master techniques, using references
like Cennini's "il Libro Dell'Arte" (aka "The Craftsman's
Handbook") from 1437, and Gorgio Vasari in 1570. I
gave a lecture with a good friend, Julie Collier of Wingmasters
in 2006, where I explained some of these techniques I had just
started to research, while she gave a presentation with her
Raptors on the sport Falconry.
It was to be a catalyst moment, during a conversation
with Julie and dear friend, author Resa
Nelson, about Art, Me, and where I was going.
Eventually it would develop and lead to the "debut"
of this presentation (Medieval-Renaissance
Artist), first in March with another "Medieval Art and
Falconry" lecture, with friend Larry Keating; and then my
first school program in Shrewsbury that May. It
was August of 2009 that these nearly 10 years of research and
art culminated with another "Medieval Art and Falconry"
presentation with Julie, in a "coming full circle" experience.
I
continue my study of Old Masters techniques in drawing and
printmaking, and have displayed and demonstrated at
Renaissance Faires and the Museum
of Printing in North Andover, as well as the Peabody
Essex Museum in Salem, MA. Thanks
for reading. |
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C:
2008 – 2013 A. Volpe |