As a child, I was fascinated with all forms of art. I did lots of drawing and still consider that to be the bases for any other art form I do. The first oil painting I can remember doing was a “paint by number” of Leonardo de Vinci's “Last Supper” but I also remember doing my own version of the painting on the back side of the canvas board with the little bets of paints leftover in the small numbered jars that came with the set.
I was fortunate to be able to attend Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas which had a great art department with a number of different art classes available each semester. When my councilor would allow me, I would take a different art class in each open period.
After graduating high school in 1971 I attended Kansas City, Kansas Community College again taking all the art related classes that my councilor would let me get by with. There I was able to study drawing, oil painting, and art history with Jim Mirick, watercolor & acrylic painting, 3-damintual design & sculpture, and silk screen printing with Ion Paleologue, and printmaking, pottery, and jewelry making with Clint Thornton.
After graduating college with an Associate Arts Degree I worked as an apprentice with a local blacksmith Kansas City Kansas, two different area potters, a candle maker in the River Queue, and cut semi precious stones and did stained glass with an artist near the Brookside area of Kansas City Missouri. Some of these jobs I would be paid for while others I would do in exchange for studio space and to learn and refine new skills. I would also attend fairs and festivals around the Midwest selling my own artwork. While busy with these endeavors, I took additional classes at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas and Kansas City Art Institute, studying wood stone & metal sculpture, stained glass, glass blowing, photography, art marketing and art economics.
Although I was able to make a living, working for
others, and selling the work I was able to do in other artist workshops, I
dreamed of having my own studio. When I was offered a job with Phillips
Petroleum in 1979 I saw it as a way to achieve my dream, thinking I could work
four or five years and save enough money to be able to open my own studio since
I would be making four times the money I was able to make doing shows and other
part time work. After three years with Phillips they decided to close the Kansas
City Refinery and I was asked to move to Borger, Texas to help oversee the
construction and work at a new unit being built there. The plan changed some
when in Borger I met my wife, Ruth, and in the process of getting married and
raising a family my four or five-year plan got slightly extended.
I ended up working for Phillips four months short 30 years, although I never
gave up the dream of having my own studio. When Phillips merged with Conoco in
2001 I saw my opportunity and took an early retirement. I asked Ruth where she
wanted to live. She wanted to be close to her mother, who lives in Idabel
Oklahoma. I agreed, on the condition that we stay in Texas. This brought me to
Red River County and Clarksville Texas.
We bought an old run down building, originally built in 1882, at the corner of
Walnut and Main Streets on the Historic Downtown Square of Clarksville, Texas.
After 2 years of restoration to the building, Square Corner Artworks opened on
February 6th 2008. I now have my own studio as will as my own gallery to show my
artwork.
Art is the communication of life and life is emotions. Positive emotions are
Love, Desire, Passion, Wonderment, & Delight. Negative emotions are Anger,
Hatred, Disgust, Melancholy, & Sorrow. I do pencil, charcoal & pastel drawings,
oil, acrylic & watercolor paintings, metal sculptures, pottery and mixed media
artwork in an attempt to invoke the viewers positive emotions.
L. Algaier - March 2008