Paint Annapolis is on the way! Learn more about the juried artists and get yourself ready for this historic Plein air painting festival.
We’re excited to welcome Alex Eisenzopf from North Carolina as a juried artist for Paint Annapolis 2023!
Alex called himself a “serial sketcher” during his time in school, and got his first formal art instruction at a local community college and eventually transferred to Pratt Institute in New York City. He found that he learned a lot more from looking at other students’ work rather than the instruction of the teachers. Although he liked the education, it was expensive so he moved to Vassar where he was able to get scholarship money.
Alex was studying philosophy as well as art during his time in college, but the fine art department at Vassar was tiny.
“I wanted to concentrate on philosophy, so I justified the move despite the weak art program. It was a mistake. The philosophy professor I wanted to study under left and the fine arts program was… not good.”
-Alex Eisenzopf
What was available for Alex at Vassar was the highly regarded Art History department and the first-rate art collection. Although this program wasn’t teaching how to put paint on a canvas, he believes that he was learning composition from some of the greatest painters histories ever had to offer.
Since out of school, Alex worked mostly in commercial art, illustration, and product design so he could pay the bills. He says both of his parents were working artists and it was a “hand-to-mouth existence”.
“I never apologized for being a commercial artist. I like to eat. And I grew up believing it wasn’t possible to make a living as an artist.”
-Alex Eisenzopf
“Drawing adds structure and dynamism. But what drives me is art with meaning – using my mind to recreate something from life or creating something from nothing. It’s the challenge that makes art worth doing.”
– Alex Eisenzopf
Learn more about Alex on his website here.
Maryland Federation of Art Blog 