artforartsake

I owe one of my inspirations for organizing this web 'zine to my old college friend and fellow student, Carol Huboi Werry. Carol and I learned together to tackle projects rather than saying, sorry, I don't work at that scale. First, we took mural composition, and mural techniques of mosaic and fresco classes at University of California, Berkeley from Professor and painter James McCray that changed our lives. He introduced us to Giotto, the 'first modern' muralist as a great example of composition. Prof. McCray showed us that a workman attitude linked with persistent development of skill and purpose can make an artist. He quietly practiced what he preached. With one arm and a friendly demeanor, James McCray was our model of carrying on and doing good work not like a meteor but as a working artist engaged with the world.

Secondly, as we struggled to earn a living with art, we apprenticed ourselves to a special mentor, Maurice Skates, a small, craft-oriented, pool contractor who liked our idea of incorporating original art into work for his clients. We learned construction; system plumbing, scaffolding, tile and concrete work, curing surfaces, re-bar and frames. Some of his projects were domestic scale, some huge public sites, some from scratch, some rebuilds. In turn, Maurice encouraged us in our endeavors. He brokered Carol's opportunity for her first paid fresco on a retaining wall over a pool we had just built. I was her assistant And thus her new art career was launched. It has not been easy nor smooth but Carol is the only former student I know who actually makes a living in her chosen profession. And she was a psychology major! -MG