LEFT-HANDED, I was born in Novato, California in 1961 into a family of 10 siblings. A few years later, my younger brother was born. (8 sisters, 3 brothers) This probably explains a lot!

My mom made me feel as though I could fix anything and my favorite project was the vacuum cleaner (I sat-in on the Hoover Demonstration as a consultant). She stayed at home for most of my childhood; I never needed a key to our house. My dad studied architecture under Mies van der Rohe at IIT, then worked for the Federal Government administrating the design of Federal Buildings and Post Offices. He built things and added architectural details all around our house.

All of my sisters and brothers were (and still are) creative. Many made art and were involved in all manner of artistic things. My family inspired me to study art and architecture and the mechanics of our world. One sister nick-named me "Exactomiliophis" for reasons I won't get into. We were all encouraged to help others.

These things tell you why I am an artist, teacher, poor, creative, absent-minded, trusting, and wildly running to and fro.

WHAT I LIKE TO MAKE:

Pastels, furniture, sculptural elements, architectural details, lighting devices, installations, environments, inventions. Subjects include: landscapes, skies, storms, planes, volume, space, time, place, discovery, beauty. Invention names: Auto-Mat Standardtm, Auto-Mat Academytm, Auto-loctm, Over The Edgetm (I am at the "proposal" stage with this one).

WHAT I CAN MAKE:

All of the above and more. To feed and clothe my kids: construction of walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows, foundations, roofs, fences. Remodeled 11 or more bathrooms. Designed and built several free-standing artist's studios, including all electrical, plumbing, etc. Designed and built custom cabinetry, including that Euro-Style stuff with those fancy hinges. My most disliked job: cleaning rotted wax rings off of toilet flanges with live slugs attached; and using old plumbing parts because the owner is too cheap to replace them (now I always get new parts).

I have done package design, illustration, 3-D computer modeling of products, product design and prototype building, traveled far to sell my inventions and didn't really enjoy much of it. I've done web page design. On weekends: train car remodeling, sculpture restoration, theater lighting, set construction, ditch digging, house painting, assisted an elderly, rich sculptor in Kansas City who owned a coffee table made of smashed up tortoise shells and painted his walls burgundy. I built shipping crates for paintings and sculptures for many artists.

WHY DO I TEACH?

I've had traditional one-man, two-person, three-person and group shows. It has not been a concern of mine to become a collectable artist represented in galleries. However, when I make traditional art work, I make my own frames and archivally mat and present my work. This is done at considerable expense. Sometimes, I simply want the opportunity to explore; to present my ideas to others. (Sounds like teaching is the ideal job for a guy like me!)

WHY INSTALLATION ART?

Creating an "installation" is incredibly freeing. Just thinking about it gives me the same feeling that I had as a kid... when summer vacation was only a week away and the lightening bugs were beginning to appear...! Most artforms are "precious". So much ego is involved in creating something that becomes as "timeless" as a formal piece of art. In my case, installation has very little preciousness; it arrives and fades away so no one needs to buy, store, sell, frame, patina or otherwise make a big deal of it. Installation, like life, is all about experience -not accumulation.

WHY PASTELS?

Pastel is the opposite of installation: precious, fussy, timeless. I create my drawings for the long term. I'm very serious about it! I'm not kidding! Don't ask me anymore about it (now I am kidding). Dry pastel is a pure medium that has stood the test of time archivally. It blends beautifully, has intense color, allows for wild gestures and holds fine detail. Pastel is a fragile and subtle medium that captures the mood of nature so well. It is portable and requires no solvents, brushes, knives, acids or fixatives (if cared for). All you need is a drawing board, some tape, paper, eraser and pastels. Pastel, like life, is all about experiencing beauty.

WHY FURNITURE?

Furniture fits somewhere between Installation and Pastel drawing... it can be both precious and ego-free. Although I don't pretent to be ego proof when it comes to making fine furniture, I often use my skills to make purely utilitarian pieces. The creative process is the same for me in any medium; it is just a matter of end-result. Themes in my furniture include: craftsmanship, simplicity, balance, and functionality. I look at furniture as useful composition. Furniture, like life, is all about a job well done.

CLASSES I HAVE TAUGHT:

Figure sculpture, pastel drawing, computer animation, digital photography, shop practices for artists, furniture design, introduction to computers in art. All part-time.

HOW DID I END UP HERE?

I attended our JC in the fall of 1980. Went to Sonoma State U. and got a BA in sculpture. Got a scholarship and drove to the University of Kansas and picked up an MFA in sculpture. In 1987, I received a letter saying, "come and teach sculpture at the JC". I am currently teaching Art 82, Digital Photography at the Petaluma campus and am Art Gallery Coordinator on the Santa Rosa campus.

ILLUMINATED ARCHITECTURE: A Light Installation (Fall 1997)

An endeavor which explored our interpretations and interactions with the space around us-
In creating such a piece, I ask questions. How can I help people to notice architectural elements they may not have perceived before? For those who have noticed, can they be shown something new? Will this excite them into exploring other architectural elements on their own? Will people leave thinking about their environment in a new way? When the show is over, it will be a memory; transient, ephemeral, fugitive.

Michael McGinnis