Check Out Bill Skrips’ Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Bill Skrips.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a sculptor, born on the east coast and previously, a NYC loft dweller. I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico ten years ago able to do so because my parents left me some money (being children of the Great Depression, they hardly ever spent a penny on themselves).

First purchasing a studio and then finding our home, my wife and I came to know the Southwest. I am privileged to be able to work in that studio every day.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The past 10 years have been good for me and my art-making. Previously, I had the usual economic woes but always supported myself with a job. I had sort of a “career” in the graphic arts, but, truth be told, this just seemed an easy way to make money- I had little attachment to it otherwise.

In NYC, freelance jobs (called gig work today) seemed to flow from one into the other and I could always get by. I’ve never had what other artists call “block” nor have I had to look hard to find inspiration- quite the opposite. With good energy and a flow of ideas, including revisions that sometimes come to me while sleeping, I work full-time making stuff.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve always been a fan of folk art and what is today called outsider art. I have the old farmer’s “make-do” ethic- that is, I like to cobble disparate things together. I use found objects in my work and would say that a lot of what I find actually drives a lot of my work.

My studio is stocked full of stuff-at first glance, you might call me a hoarder. I work amidst my collection of usable bits and pieces… many folks would run from the mess that surrounds them, and I could not be more comfortable in this environment. As mentioned, I have no lack of “inspiration” and always have several projects going on at once.

My studio is a maze of semi-completed projects and materials that so many would find confusing to think of my work environment as a metaphor for my (creative) brain. I use woodcarving and paint in my work and, although calling myself a sculptor, I will forever be chasing the idea of two dimensions. I tend to think and breathe in 3D, so painting has always been a challenge (therefore a desired goal) for me.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Successful (that is, creative success) is what I am right now: I have an ability to form my own boundaries, an imagination that moves faster than my hands ever could- I post my work (both past and present) on media daily-things are good. Influenced by my blue-collar background, I try to keep my work priced affordably-of course, my work is not for everybody- thank goodness for individual taste!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.billskrips.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billskrips/
• Facebook: @Bill Skrips