Art: A Life in Art - Paperback

by Bill Phelan (Author)

Since he was a small child Bill knew that all he really wanted to do in this world was to be an artist. The earliest serious influence in his art education was Ms. Parker in the 3rd grade. She inculcated that art must be somehow different and original, like a Christmas card drawn only with X's in different colored pencils. He attended the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum Saturday morning art class before graduating highschool in Ludlow Massachusetts. He learned to appreciate classical academic art of the the museum as well as Chinese sculpture, ceramics, armor and funriture. During the same period he enjoyed various so called art activities in the high school art class in Ludlow such as drawing, tempera painting, box making, etc. He was the only male in an all female class. Since Ludlow high school was on a double shift he worked as an emblem artist at the Nixon Emblem Co. in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts in the afternoon. There he perfected the ability to draw letters and all sorts of things by hand in pencil before going on to college. While studying at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston he worked at Le Petit Pigalle, a small French restaurant near Symphony Hall, where he learned to love various dry red and white French wines and eat chocolate mousse. He became thoroughly exposed to most aspects of the visual arts and art history. He created artwork in many different mediums as a student and later as an artist trying to survive in New York City. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art and Rochester Institure of Technology, Bill lived the East Village bohemian artist existence for twelve years. During this period, from 1972-1984, he exhibited paintings and drawings at NYC galleries, and worked as a free-lance graphic designer, illustrator, and advertising artist on Madison Avenue. He was also forced to earn a living teaching at various colleges and university art departments as an associate professor. Fortunately he had acquired Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Fine Art Degrees. In spite of teaching a number of classes over the years at a number of colleges and universities in both fine art and commercial art he continues to be involved with the process of creation. Whether it is with classical techniques and mediums or abstract modernist forms or digital, the search continues for something new & original and is the raison d' tre of his art.

Author Biography

After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art and Rochester Institure of Technology, Bill lived the East Village bohemian artist existence for twelve years. During this period, from 1972-1984, he exhibited paintings and drawings at NYC galleries, and worked as a free-lance graphic designer, illustrator, and advertising artist on Madison Avenue. He was also forced to earn a living teaching at various colleges and university art departments as an associate professor. Fortunately he had acquired Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Fine Art Degrees. In spite of teaching a number of classes over the years at a number of colleges and universities in both fine art and commercial art he continues to be involved with the process of creation. Whether it is with classical techniques and mediums or abstract modernist forms or digital, the search continues for something new & original and is the raison d'être of his art.