Happy Dance
By Richard Pankratz, Installed 2015
I always knew that I would be an artist. I remember being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up”? From the 4th grade on I remember always answering: “I will be an artist”. I answered with the intention of being a painter, because that was my concept of what an artist is. That changed as I learned that there were more possibilities.I taught art in public schools in Kansas and Colorado for 11 years. But somewhere about the 7th year of this stint I realized that I was not fulfilling the reason that I went to art school. I thought long and hard about what it would be like to retire as a classroom teacher without having lived my dream. I was not at peace with the thought. I was compelled to begin working in earnest on my art skills when possible.
Long before my 11th and last year of teaching I had tenure, which meant a nearly guaranteed income for life, unless of course, I somehow would manage to really screw up. I also was married to a wonderful and supportive woman. Together we had two small children, a mortgage, and all of the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Together we reached out and cut that “Umbilical Cord”, and together we embarked upon the Great Art Adventure.
We have always believed that we should work hard and play hard. And so we do. In my art, I explore a philosophical and spiritual approach to life.
