Painting, Art A Way Of Life For This Local Retiree
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Painting alongside his father was what drew Alvon Abbott to become an artist.
"Basically," he said, "I started out watching my father paint."
At the age of 13, he painted for the first time. The painting was a 5-inch by 7-inch scene of an old watermill with an autumn background.
But he put down his brush and didn't pick up another one again until he was 36. He's now going on his 40th year of molding, arranging, painting, forming, folding, hammering, carving, welding, burning and sculpting.
"Life went different ways," Abbott said, on why he left art for two decades. He married his wife, Grace, and served in the Navy on the battleship Indiana as a yeoman third class.
Finally, at 36, "I started out trying to do a watercolor painting of a National Geographic scene," he said.
When watercolors didn't work the way he wanted them to, he tried pastels and then settled on oil paint. He still has the oil painting.
What has mostly drawn him into the art world is the work he does for churches.
He said much of his artwork comes from creating backgrounds for church plays. He also used to create background and artwork for Murphy Medical Center when it existed.
His largest art project was for an Easter program. He painted a mural 15 feet by 65 feet. His second largest is 11 feet by 17 feet.
The smallest art he's made so far is a 5-inch wax figure.
"My favorite medium is pastels, of course," he said. "It's something you can easily pick up and put down in the amount of time you have."
His least favorite art form?
"The hardest part is trying to get a likeness on portraits. I stay away from it as much as possible," he said.
Abbott, who's recycled for more than 25 years, uses recyclables, such as bleach bottles, styrofoam sheets, cardboard and other items, to create some of his work. He usually gives his work to family and friends but does occasionally sell his art.
His family also is a family of artists.
"I picked it up from my father. My oldest grandson had a trip to Florence, Italy, because of his art abilities," Abbott said. He said his grandchildren often help him with his creations.
Abbott is a retired art and activities therapist from Bowen Center for 13 years. Prior to working at the Bowen Center, he was the plant manager at Murphy Medical Center for 21 years.
He moved to Warsaw in 1940 after graduating from high school in Fulton County, and has lived in Warsaw ever since. [[In-content Ad]]
Painting alongside his father was what drew Alvon Abbott to become an artist.
"Basically," he said, "I started out watching my father paint."
At the age of 13, he painted for the first time. The painting was a 5-inch by 7-inch scene of an old watermill with an autumn background.
But he put down his brush and didn't pick up another one again until he was 36. He's now going on his 40th year of molding, arranging, painting, forming, folding, hammering, carving, welding, burning and sculpting.
"Life went different ways," Abbott said, on why he left art for two decades. He married his wife, Grace, and served in the Navy on the battleship Indiana as a yeoman third class.
Finally, at 36, "I started out trying to do a watercolor painting of a National Geographic scene," he said.
When watercolors didn't work the way he wanted them to, he tried pastels and then settled on oil paint. He still has the oil painting.
What has mostly drawn him into the art world is the work he does for churches.
He said much of his artwork comes from creating backgrounds for church plays. He also used to create background and artwork for Murphy Medical Center when it existed.
His largest art project was for an Easter program. He painted a mural 15 feet by 65 feet. His second largest is 11 feet by 17 feet.
The smallest art he's made so far is a 5-inch wax figure.
"My favorite medium is pastels, of course," he said. "It's something you can easily pick up and put down in the amount of time you have."
His least favorite art form?
"The hardest part is trying to get a likeness on portraits. I stay away from it as much as possible," he said.
Abbott, who's recycled for more than 25 years, uses recyclables, such as bleach bottles, styrofoam sheets, cardboard and other items, to create some of his work. He usually gives his work to family and friends but does occasionally sell his art.
His family also is a family of artists.
"I picked it up from my father. My oldest grandson had a trip to Florence, Italy, because of his art abilities," Abbott said. He said his grandchildren often help him with his creations.
Abbott is a retired art and activities therapist from Bowen Center for 13 years. Prior to working at the Bowen Center, he was the plant manager at Murphy Medical Center for 21 years.
He moved to Warsaw in 1940 after graduating from high school in Fulton County, and has lived in Warsaw ever since. [[In-content Ad]]