Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1985.
Work experience
Self-Employed Artist (full time), Shorewood WI, 1989-present.
Artist Statement
Sam and the Perfect World
My wife Rosemarie had just given birth to our son Sam, and although he appeared perfectly healthy, something, nevertheless, didn’t seem right. There was an awkward silence in the room, no words of congratulation or comments about how cute he was - even though he was cute. Five minutes later the diagnosis was given: Sam has Down syndrome. “Are you going to keep him?” a nurse asked. Later that evening someone else came by to “console” us, “It’s every mother’s worst nightmare” she said.
Welcome to the world Sam.
In America today, perfection is highly valued. We dump loads of chemicals on our lawns to try and get rid of every weed, every dandelion. Models and supermodels are tall, impossibly fit, their clothes stylish and wrinkle free. Images like this tend to change our perceptions, our ideals, until finally they leave us looking around at the peeling paint on our own houses, and our less than fit bodies, and it leaves us wanting.
Perfection, I would submit, is overrated. And besides, I like dandelions.
In the painting Sam assumes the role of presenter, host, even tutor, of this most revealing examination of the civilization man has made for himself. Sam is not society’s accepted definition of perfection. In spite of that, or perhaps because of that, he really does have an important message for everyone to hear.
THANKS FOR SHARING MR. David Lenz!
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Urban scenes
Deep in the heart of every large city in America, there is a central city. It is a place very different from the areas that surround it. The property values, income levels, and educational opportunities are low. Crime rates, however, are higher, much higher. Murder, sexual assaults, and armed robbery all happen much too often. Often if people can, they move out. Even when driving through, people lock their doors and worry about what might happen to them. But for the children of the central city, this is their home. Their bed, toys, and yard are in the central city. This is were they lay down to sleep each night. No wonder these children often don’t reach their full potential. It’s no wonder alcohol and drug addition are so common, when life seems so hopeless, and the road to a better life seems so steep and so long. Through a series of paintings about these social issues, I hope to shine a light on the children growing up in these very difficult places. There is hope. There are people down in the trenches working tirelessly each day to make our cities a better place. The kids of the central city are the innocent bystanders of our society - bright, eager to learn, and ready to lift themselves up - if only they had half a chance.
Rural scenes
Sometimes it is easy to make the mistake of thinking our food comes from the grocery store. When in fact it come from the farm. And it comes from farmers. And they work mighty long hours, often for very little pay, to produce the food we need to live. Erv and Mercedes Wagner of Sauk County, Wisconsin are two of these farmers. With their age and old ways of doing things, they are a direct connection to our farming past. The transition from horse to diesel power, from kerosene to electric lights, from isolation to the telephone and television, all happened within their lifetimes. Still with this change, there remains a certain cultural isolation in rural life. They have to make do; sometimes rely on neighbors; live close to the earth, and at the mercy of the weather. Even now in 2004, they have running water only in their kitchen sink. So like generations before them, they make mad dashes across the yard to the outhouse, even in the dead of the night, even in the bone-cracking cold. All the while, an unforgiving landscape looms outside their door. A landscape of sublime beauty and magnificent scale. What a pleasure it has been to know Erv and Mercedes Wagner, and to paint a series of pictures about their lives.
Deep in the heart of every large city in America, there is a central city. It is a place very different from the areas that surround it. The property values, income levels, and educational opportunities are low. Crime rates, however, are higher, much higher. Murder, sexual assaults, and armed robbery all happen much too often. Often if people can, they move out. Even when driving through, people lock their doors and worry about what might happen to them. But for the children of the central city, this is their home. Their bed, toys, and yard are in the central city. This is were they lay down to sleep each night. No wonder these children often don’t reach their full potential. It’s no wonder alcohol and drug addition are so common, when life seems so hopeless, and the road to a better life seems so steep and so long. Through a series of paintings about these social issues, I hope to shine a light on the children growing up in these very difficult places. There is hope. There are people down in the trenches working tirelessly each day to make our cities a better place. The kids of the central city are the innocent bystanders of our society - bright, eager to learn, and ready to lift themselves up - if only they had half a chance.
Rural scenes
Sometimes it is easy to make the mistake of thinking our food comes from the grocery store. When in fact it come from the farm. And it comes from farmers. And they work mighty long hours, often for very little pay, to produce the food we need to live. Erv and Mercedes Wagner of Sauk County, Wisconsin are two of these farmers. With their age and old ways of doing things, they are a direct connection to our farming past. The transition from horse to diesel power, from kerosene to electric lights, from isolation to the telephone and television, all happened within their lifetimes. Still with this change, there remains a certain cultural isolation in rural life. They have to make do; sometimes rely on neighbors; live close to the earth, and at the mercy of the weather. Even now in 2004, they have running water only in their kitchen sink. So like generations before them, they make mad dashes across the yard to the outhouse, even in the dead of the night, even in the bone-cracking cold. All the while, an unforgiving landscape looms outside their door. A landscape of sublime beauty and magnificent scale. What a pleasure it has been to know Erv and Mercedes Wagner, and to paint a series of pictures about their lives.
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