Alan Carter
Illinois
Yogi Berra once famously said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” My creative life has had more forks in the road than an overturned silverware truck. I can trace it all back to the third grade, when the grade school band needed a trombone player. Thus started a lifelong interest in music which led ultimately to my graduation from Indiana University with a degree in music. Upon graduation, with no performing jobs to be found, I ended up in the management program of major retailer, about as far away from music as it could be. (fork #1)
During my stint in retail management, I discovered painting, thanks to a fellow employee and friend. I took to it immediately and after a few years of painting as a hobby I decided to become a “professional artist”, not really knowing what I was doing. I persevered though, and spent the next 22 years painting full time, ultimately focusing on the urban environment in a highly detailed, photorealistic style. (fork #2)
In 1999 I shifted my attention to furniture design, another hobby I had been involved with for a number of years. For ten years I designed and built contemporary furniture and accessories, drawing on my painting experiences to develop a signature style. Much of my business came from commissions, as well as furniture and accessories I made and sold through the internet and galleries in the Chicago area.(#3- you get the idea)
In 2009, I discovered woodturning and began yet another chapter in my creative life. I’ve gradually developed a unique sculptural style, drawing on all the experiences and knowledge from my years as a musician, painter, and furniture designer. I’ve immersed myself in this wonderful universe and have established a following as an artist who uses woodturned objects as part of his work. I’ve taken all the lessons I’ve learned from music, painting, and furniture design to help shape the work I now produce.
I’m now represented by a number of nationally recognized galleries, have been featured in a variety of woodturning publications and woodturning exhibitions, and travel the country and abroad giving demonstrations and workshops in the fine art and craft of woodturning.
