LIFE

David Vickers named ArtCoz artist of the month

Lori Law

ZANESVILLE – In the Heart of Art Gallery space in the Masonic Temple building at 38 N. Fourth St., the ArtCoz artist of the month, a smiling David Vickers is surrounded by the colors and the animals he loves to paint.

“I like dogs, insects, bees, wasps, horses and cows. I decided I wanted to draw them and one day I sat down and that’s what I did. I use my imagination,” he said.

Heart of Art studio facilitator, Diana Geidenberger calls Vickers a natural talent.

“He’s an excellent learner, too. I’ll show him a new technique or an idea for a background or suggest a color for him and he goes about it. He puts himself into every piece,” she said.

Vickers said he is looking forward to meeting people who appreciate the arts and who may see a treasured pet amid his collected works during the First Friday Art Walk which goes from 5 to 8 p.m.

Paul Maniaci has added several of Vickers’ works to his art collection and grins telling Vickers that he is saving up to buy a painting of a brown and white cow who seems to look at her painter from one eye.

“Your prices are going up,” Maniaci tells him, “I’m going to have to save some money so I can have that one for my office.”

Maniaci says he likes the stylistic approach Vickers uses.

“It’s like this greyhound here. Anyone can make a picture of a dog or a cat, but David has such attention to detail and makes it interesting. It has a folk art vibe, but they are so real. He sticks with what he knows and it shows,” Maniaci said.

Vickers recalls all the dogs he has had over the years, a Basset hound, a Jack Russell and a Benji type terrier mix. He has yet to meet one of the breed he most admires and hopes to paint, an Irish Wolfhound. He studies books about the various breeds of dogs and often paints from photographs.

Heart of Art artists keep 70 percent of the proceeds from their work. Recently, Vickers accepted a commission to paint the commissioner’s dog and says he is looking forward to future commissions.

In between, he plans to pursue pigs as subject matter “and anything else that I see. I like all kinds of things.”

Another first for Vickers is a portrait of a lady looking out over a shoreline at the water.

“I didn’t paint people before, but she was at a beach looking at the water and I wondered what she was thinking,” he said.

Geidenberger has worked with Vickers since the very beginning of the Starlight workshop art program.

“David is always nice and is gentle. I’ve never seen him be unkind to anyone. He is a joy to work with and watch his creativity grow,” she said.

Vickers’ face lights up when he talks about his art, “I’m going to be here First Friday and every First Friday I can. I like meeting new people. I’m taking big steps as an artist. I want to be a full time artist and do that all the time.”