Artist Jack Wax http://arts.vcu.edu/craft/bio/jack-wax/ describes his work as “explorative.” For every piece of artwork he creates he takes something from it and continues to explore.
Artist Jack Wax http://arts.vcu.edu/craft/bio/jack-wax/ describes his work as “explorative.” For every piece of artwork he creates he takes something from it and continues to explore.
“I never make the same thing twice, because once I make something I have learned everything I can learn from it,” Wax, a sculptor and craftsman, said describing his work as a learning experience.
While in his creative process, Wax tries to escape everything from the outside world. When he’s able to hone in and focus on his pieces, he can capture the essence he wants to display rather than having the outside world in his ear.
“I don’t try to make things people want, because that changes the things I want,” he said stressing he strives to create honest work.
That being said, he still does get influenced by those around him – especially from VCU students in the crafts and materials classes he teaches.
“I see them as young developing artists; they make a huge amount of bad work,” he said. “Which is great, because the only way to get to the good work is going through the bad work.”
Other than his students, the artist added that the different areas he has lived and visited also play a significant role in his artwork.
“Depending on the time I lived in that area I was influenced by what was around me.”
Those places include Japan, California, and Chicago, as well as his home in New York. He currently lives in Richmond, working full time as a VCU professor. When he’s not in the classroom, he makes sure to still spend as much time in his studio as possible.
“If you don’t go to the gym for a long time you lose what you were building for,” he said.
One of the goals for Wax as he continues to work and come to the studio frequently is to learn something new everyday. “If I were to learn something new everyday I would be a genius by now,” he said. As he continues to laugh, Wax describes that he learns little tiny things, but every once in awhile learns something huge.
“Wood staining the back of the paper so the viewing side is pigmented and opacified before the drawing is started,” is an example of a technique Wax has learned over time.
That dedication to his craft has earned Wax a number of accolades over the years. He is a two-time winner of the individual fellowship award from the National Endowment for Arts and was a recipient of the Illinois State Council of the Arts grant.
Most recently, the sculptor and crafts artist received an $8,000 grant from the Virginia Museum of fine Arts’ fellowship program.
“The first time I received this award I used the money on traveling and buying materials,” he said. “I plan on publishing a book this time around.”
