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Harvee Riggs I was born by the river. The East River. 10th Street and Avenue C, New York City, in 46. Sickly as a child, I entertained myself with coloring books and puzzles. About age 5 or 6 I can remember the high pitched voice of my favorite aunt as she exclaimed "He's an artist!" I believed her. As I grew I repeated her words to myself and to others. Now I have no choice in the matter. A lifetime of believing those words has made it so. I seem to have no choice but to do art. After leaving the military in 68, I attended classes at the Chouinard Art Institude in Los Angeles (now called Cal Arts ) . I also took evening classes at the Otis College of Art and Design in the early 70's. During that time I romantically thought of myself as a fine arts painter. Occasionally I actually did a pretty good piece of work.. At that time I wasn't ready to commit to life as a visual artist. I kept looking for different art forms that I thought held promise for me. For years I tried various media: illustration, air brush, silk screen, drawing and lithography, but nothing held me. The printing industry introduced me to computers and I became a high-end scanner operator, Photoshop special effects graphic artist and color expert. I was able to make a decent living, and do some freelance graphic arts work as well, but my artistic craving was not fulfilled with these endeavors. It wasn't like creating art with my hands. A computer lacks the tactile enjoyment I get from using real world materials. I discovered public access television in the early 90's. For 8 1/2 years I directed, produced and edited a weekly acoustic music show to quench my artistic thirst (Euphonious Mode, www.euphomode.com). The show gave me instant visual gratification, I liked that. It also let me work with a group of people, which is more fun than the solitary working style that I knew as a visual artist. Box art assemblage was something I had dabbled in over the years An early influence was Joseph Cornell, one of the pioneers in this genre. In 2001 I began working on boxes again. For some reason it just clicked for me this time. I believe I have found a cozy, fulfilling niche for myself. I am happy doing this work, and I like the surprises that it holds for me to discover. For now I can still be found living near the water, on the Connecticut shoreline. |
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