But for Canonsburg artist James Sulkowski, there’s no place like home.
Q. What’s the best thing about being an artist?
A. The best thing is that I do what I love to do. I can come to my studio every day and it’s like my sanctuary. ... I can decide what I want to do each day. It’s fulfilling, it’s exciting, it’s rewarding, and I love to create.
Q. Ever had a moment when you felt you wouldn’t financially survive being an artist?
A. Many times! The only other jobs I did were at night: I worked as an usher at Carnegie Hall in New York, and I did commercial art jobs, but nothing interfered with my daytime painting. I was fortunate to be encouraged by my parents to paint, but it’s a difficult thing to do. I realized I had to sell (paintings) if I wanted to keep on painting. That’s the hard part, where an artist either makes it or doesn’t.
A. My mother and dad. Since I was a little kid, they said, “You have a gift,” and they always gave us pencils and paper and paints. I look back on the worst drawings I did, and they praised them like they were great.
Q. Best advice you ever got?
A. As far as making a living as an artist, my dad’s philosophy was the money will come; the main thing was to do the best art I could. He said to remember the two P’s: patience and perseverance. My teacher, Frank Mason, said, “Paint beautiful paintings and pray to God.”
Q. Your paintings hang in private collections throughout the country and in other parts of the world. Whose works do you collect?
A. I have paintings, drawings and lithographs by Frank Mason, who I studied under in New York; Malcolm Parcells; and I have Karen and Jack Winslow etchings.
They live in Vermont, and I studied with them in New York. I have one or two of my twin brother’s work.
Q. What’s the best thing in your life?
A. My family. It might sound trite, but it’s true.
Q. Any favorite places where you’ve exhibited your work?
A. The National Arts Club in New York, which was the show I did with my brother, and the Metropolitan Opera House, also in New York. Locally, I did a Washington & Jefferson College exhibit that was way up there. It was a great, great opening night, one of my favorites. Art has gotten me places I could never have imagined, like the White House and painting for the king of Saudi Arabia. I feel like I’m on a ride, never knowing where art is going to take me, and it’s never dull, it’s never boring.
Q. Best childhood memory of growing up in Canonsburg?
A. When I was growing up, there was a store called The Book and Bible store, but the owner sold hobby stuff; he sold little Matchbox cars and things you can put together,
I love to read, especially biographies or the Civil War. If I find a new book on Lincoln, my wife will say, “What don’t you know about Lincoln?” I love reading people’s biographies, and I just finished Steve Jobs’ book. People who make it on their own in the world fascinate me, and I can always learn something from somebody’s story.
Q. Any plans to work with your twin brother (artist Joseph Sulkowski) in the future?
A. We don’t have any immediate plans to, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I have a couple of ideas. We collaborated on some major paintings together in the past. I see something down the road, maybe something symbolic like “The Hero’s Quest,” which was the main piece in a major show we had in New York City on our 40th birthday.
Q. You teach art classes throughout the country. How did that happen?
A. It happened by accident. I was teaching art here, and then I put out a videotape on painting. I advertised it in American Artist Magazine, and I sold hundreds of them all over the country and six foreign countries. Then one day a woman called me from North Carolina and said, “I have your video and we have an art group here. Would you come and teach us?” And I said, yeah, sure, I’ll come. Then someone else called me and I ended up going everywhere.
