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Philip Bradley Wankier Bio
"This is what I want to do" as if it were yesterday, I remember saying to myself at 17 years old.
I was looking at an exhibit of female figures and torsos carved in wood, highly polished.
The artist had a little sign that said "Please Touch" and I did.
This was the Laguna Beach Museum of Art, California.
I do not remember who the artist was, I was a troubled run-away teen.
Carving gave me a sense of pride and to my delight people wanted to buy them.
At 20 -- I opened my first shop/studio where I also restored antique furniture.
It failed and I tried again and again.
One of my most influential people, the late Walt Disney, went bankrupt 11 times before creating Disneyland.
Somehow I knew that if I held on to my dream, someday it would come true.
Successful sales and encouragement when showing my artwork at public events did not always balance my budget, and there were many times when I had to give up shop space and carve in garages or sheds and worked various jobs when art sales were slow.
At 30 -- I moved to the Oregon Coast, rented a cabin in the woods and kept my expenses low, which allowed me time to improve.
I had regular exhibits in annual craft fairs, art and wine festivals, etc.
I began making life drawings and became more serious about my female figures.
About this time I gave up on part-time jobs so I could concentrate on producing enough art for the next event.
What surprised me is more than 90% of my sculptures were bought by women.
At 40 -- With galleries buying my art wholesale, I had outgrown the festival scene.
Now I hired models to pose for my sculptures, bought marble and alabaster stone which I was now learning to carve at the Michaelangelo Studio in Santa Cruz, California.
Here I found more inspirations but what really happened is I inspired them as well.
I noticed torsos similar to mine showing up in galleries because I could not keep up with a growing demand.
Then came 9-11 and war.
Gallery sales stopped and once again I had to start over with nothing.
I found work at "It's A Burl" gallery and shop in Southern Oregon making rustic furniture.
This went well and my chairs sold, so I made a lot of them.
Now I sign and date them, call them Fantasy Furniture.
Heirlooms to be handed down through generations.
At 50 -- Now I have a customized sculpture studio in Grants Pass.
Using models selected for their classic forms, I am turning out life size torsos with greater confidence and skill than ever before.
Philip Wankier with a work in progress.
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