NAME: Clayton Eicher
BIRTH PLACE: Pennsylvania, USA
BIRTH DATE: 12.21.67
BIOGRAPHY
I was born in 1967 a few miles from my home in Claysburg, where I have lived all my life.
My grandfather was a brilliant wood scuptor and leather worker, and he taught my father the art of sculpting, and they together taught me. At age 11 I produced my firs piece, a simple stylized ornament, and from that moment on the desire to sculpt was set withn me.
After sculpting exclusively for 10 years I found that painting was equally wonderful. Simple, bold colors were my favorite and remain so up to the present. I dont have any set style for painting, my emotions at the time dictate how the brush works and that to me is the true expression of what a painting is supposed to be.
Recently I discoverd that epoxies and clay allowed me to take my sculptures to a level that I could not achieve with wood. When sculpting wood, the wood itself will ajust how the piece is created, thus merging my own vision with the essence of the wood creating a totally new version of what is in the mind. With epoxies and clays I have found a way to bring the vision in my mind to reality without the influence of the medium that I am working with.
Along with sculpting and painting, I also write poetry and am eagerly awaiting the premier of my first book of poems entitled "When Thoughts Collide". The original format of the book was to contain poems and paintings that inspired them but was changed to only poetry. My next book will adhere more closely to the original design, containing several more paintings and photos. A poem and a painting (or a sculpture for that matter) are so much alike that they can often be two parts of one entity. Just as the artist is a part of the painting, the painting is equally a part of the artist, and a poem is equally a work of art as the other two.
Currently I am working on several new sculptures for my first "offical" presentation. Up to the present all of my works have been for my own personal gallery or given as gifts to family and close friends. Hopefully now I can break free of the fears that I have of showing my work to the public.
