Artist John Skrabalak
  |
|
Biography
My Arrival
I am a retired high school art educator, having taught for 36 years at the Altoona Area High School in Pennsylvania. I was very dedicated to my teaching career, which resulted in my involvement in various capacities with the Pennsylvania Art Education Association.* I was never able to work on the second part of my vocational journey--becoming a professional artist (a painter), until my retirement. Teaching watercolor painting for 35 years kept my passion for painting alive. Which brings me to where I am now.
I have been taking painting workshops to keep current with all the new painting materials and processes. I have painted in both acrylics and watercolor and have taken coursework in it, both in my undergrad and graduate degrees. Several years ago, I took workshops in encaustic and recently took a workshop in oil and cold wax painting. Encaustic and cold wax painting are exciting processes that relate so well to my painting philosophy and style. I learn something new every time I work with these 2 magical medias.
My muse is the Hudson River Valley. This is where I make an annual retreat just to paint.....
Workshop Painting Presenters I've Taken: Gerald Brommer, Karen Rosasco, Robert Burridge, Pat Dews, Lorraine Glessner and Linda Benton McCloskey
Famous Artist Influences: Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro, Paul Klee, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Willem DeKooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Aldrich and all Abstract Expressionists.
*I have included my Art Educator Resume in this web site.
ARTIST STATEMENT
The need to share my excitement and my vision is paramount as to why, how, and what I paint. Painting charges my inner spirit. It's a catalyst. Hours pass away when I am in the painting zone. I absolutely love to paint. I've painted with acrylics and watercolors for years. My training and college study concentrated on these two medias. It has [...]
Read the rest of this bio on the artist's website >>
Content Copyright - John Skrabalak Fine Art
