“My art has been evolving over a life time of unusual experiences,

shared with inspiring characters.”

       My name is Neil. I am an oil painter, metal sculptor and founder of studio23tucson.com.

      

       My career as an artist has taken many exciting twists and turns, always at a parallel to my experiences.  The lines between my life and art have become so blurry over time, that it is nearly impossible to separate the two.  I look at everything I take part in as another course in my education.  

    An early memory of mine explains a lot about my view of art.  When I was about six, my mother and I lived in a small studio apartment.  One rainy night the roof began to leak, and water ran down the wall under the paint, creating a giant bubbly water stain.  Instead of seeing the wall as ugly or destroyed, my mom handed me some old paints and a brush.  She told me to paint what I saw in the pattern of the large water stain.  I painted a big palm tree with green and brown, transforming the atmosphere of our poor, dark apartment into a tropical paradise.

    I’ve always had the good fortune to meet a wide variety of talented and creative people. These people have inspired and taught me. My schooling is constant and ongoing.  Working in construction and remodel has been a great training in many skills that have become essential for art.  

                            

         I am Interested in doing everything.                                                   Always learning, growing and expanding.              

 

    >1987-present:   Pen and ink drawing

    >1996-98:           Acrylic painting

    >1997-98:           Southern Arizona Carpenters Apprenticeship

    >1997-98:           Drawing and Design classes at PCC

    >1998-present:   Oil Painting

    >2000-02:           Welding Study with Jesse Bowen

    >2000-05:           Art, Philosophy, Design Study with Neil Weismiller

    >2002-03:           Sculpture Study at Cycle Recycle

    >2002-05:           Member in “Tucson Warehouse Arts District”      

    >2003-05:           Graffiti Art Study with Jasper Vasconcellos

    >2005-06:           Tattoo Study with Johnny Bidwell in Portland, OR  

    >2007-present:   Sculptural steel furniture design and fabrication at

                                “Devine Tile Arts”

 

        Im always looking to pick up a new skill that I can use to express myself but I seem to oil paint more than anything else. Im just amazed by how different each painting or furniture piece turns out; how unpredictable and unique it is. Im also deeply interested in the differences between photography and painting. A photo can document a scene or convey some ideas but there seems to be something else that a painting communicates, something totally different. The painting is like a record of the way humans experience life with their feelings and personalities. One of the best feelings for me is when someone likes a piece of my art and they are so exited and happy to take it into their home.

 

Shows

    >1997 “Datura Studios and Gallery” (salon style show)

                                                                  http://www.solarculture.org/history.php

    >1999 “Solar Culture Gallery” (salon)                                                                  

    >2001 “CUPPUCCINOS”  ( Solo show)

    >2002 Bentley’s House of Coffee & Tea (Solo)

    >2003 “CUPPUCCINOS”  ( Solo show)

    >2003 “Dinnerware Gallery” (group show)

    >2004 “Ascencio Art Gallery” (group show)

    >2004 “Bica’s” annual art auction

    >2004 “Irene’s Sportsbar” (solo show)

    >2004 “Epic Cafe” (group show)

    >2004 “Tucson Open Studio Tour” (community show)

    >2005  “4th Ave Art Walk” (community show)

    >2007  “Contents Interiors and Design” (group show)

    >2008  “Galleria Mistica” (group show)

    >2008  “Tucson Open Studio Tour”

    >2008  “Tubac Center For The Arts Holiday Artisan Market

   

   

                    

Studio 23                                                      

         The studio was created some years ago when I rented a live/work space in a warehouse next to the rail road tracks, near downtown Tucson. I had already been painting seriously for about five years in different small apartments, but the warehouse enabled me for the first time to experience my art as a way of life.

      I was able to design and build rooms inside of the space, thanks to the incredibly high ceilings. I built a large brick patio/lounge area outside for enjoying the long summer nights. The place also provided me with enough space to create large oil paintings and learn to weld steel sculpture. Interacting and collaborating with the other artists in the warehouse district became one of my most enjoyable and beneficial experiences. Many people would come to the space to either paint, weld, help with the construction or just share inspiration.

        I no longer live in the warehouse, but Studio 23 is even more productive and creative than ever.