Inspiration & Vision

Where does one even begin?  Generally speaking, I submit we are the direct results of our upbringing, culture, mentors, and experiences & paradigms we have been exposed to over the years since we were very young.

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I was raised like most other Generation X kids.  We raced dirt bikes, dressed in camouflage fatigues & built forts in the woods, helped our fathers with chores around the house & helped him change the oil in our own cars on Saturdays.  The first book I ever owned & read was the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin;  aside from my father, he became my very first role model & historical hero;  I was enthralled with all of us accomplishments as he truly epitomizes the self-made "Renaissance Man".   I was then soon introduced to Thomas Alva Edison and got to replicate a basic lightbulb project in fourth grade.  I admired his divergent thinking, work ethic, & sheer persistence.

 

Mother did not want us in the house until dinner time & always had the large wooden spoon at the ready should we become difficult or disrespectful.  I suppose that was also a cultural by-product of growing-up in a heavily German-America region of Pennsylvania.  It also seemed like every one also drove Volkswagen Beetles in those days.  We did not fully realize the etymology of "Gesundheit" meant, but we went with it.

 

We also learned to fend for ourselves and if we got hurt, we were always told to, "Walk it off".  When allowed indoors, we watched old John Wayne cowboy pictures, re-runs of the original Star Trek series & the early 80's GI Joe cartoons.  Then we all saw the very first Star Wars (Episode IV) either in an old drive-in or actual movie theater;  it took all us to a creative, magical world.   And then we were introduced to the very first Rocky movie.  Sure it was film around boxing, but it reinforced the idea of unrealized dreams, going the distance, and the power of the proverbial underdog.  Life was good & fairly uncomplicated despite obligatory church service every Sunday.  

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Many of our Grandfathers were World War II Veterans & we usually had neighbors or uncles who had also served in Vietnam.  As a young boy, I cherished my Grandfather's original Ike Jacket (which I would later wear in service) as well as his two original Bill Maudlin cartoon books published by Stars & Stripes in Europe.  It would not hit me until I had served multiple tours in both Afghanistan & Iraq that he single-handedly produced an entire body of artwork that every single World War II Veteran could relate to.  His national impact was enormous & remains iconic to this very day.  It simply resonates with "muddy-boots" military experiences & humor of any generation.

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For me personally, my interests always seemed to gravitate to old cars, Jeeps & motorcycles, anything related to military adventures, and my aptitude for art & creativity.  Yes, there were tons of very early military drawings of airplanes, tanks, and vehicles that hung on Mother's refrigerator.  And then "Top Gun" came to the big screen reinforcing military service & patriotism, but I was still too young to enlist.  But, it nonetheless, planted an exciting, deep seed for future service and high adventure.

 

I would be remiss in not mentioning my high school art teacher Sister Gabriel Mary whilst enrolled in Catholic High School.   Her discipline, insistence on high standards, tough love, selfless service, and singleness of clear purpose to a higher calling can not possibly be overstated.   During my senior year in high school, I was also voted most likely to work for Disney.  

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During this period of time, I also looked greatly to George Lucas for inspiration, creativity, divergent thinking, and resilience in producing timeless & iconic films such as Star Wars & Indiana Jones.  Musically, Metallica's Black Album had also come out & literally rocked the radio waves in ways never heard before.

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Although I elected to attend the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), my study-abroad in southern France at the Marchutz School of Art was the single-most pivotal experience as a young man. Being fully emersed into a French-speaking program was incredible coupled with walking in the actual footsteps of Van Gogh & Cezanne.  The sunlight in Aix-en-Provence is singularly unique in the world--especially for those with oil paints & an easel. 

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The Solovey Art Collection officially began in 1996 with the production of three limited-edition oil painting VMI lithographs.  With very little resources, no website, mentorship, nor a bona-fide business model, I stepped-off the proverbial ledge & took the shot.  This is where it all began.  Rocky start, but this initial success had left valuable clues.  Without even knowing it, I had produced a Minimal Viable Product.

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From joining the Army in 1996 through about 2001, my military art portfolio of small unit projects began to take shape with some modest, local projects. After seeing "Gladiator", I began to truly appreciate the musical scores of Hans Zimmer.  To this day, I am inspired and in awe of his musical productions & the impressive amounts of talented musicians all working in unison.  During this timeframe, I experienced my first bona-fide military fine art success with the release of "96 Combat Patrols, Sir" in Bosnia 1998.   This release truly set the ball rolling.

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It was not until I extended to serve throughout the entirety of the Global War on Terrorism, that I fully developed my passion into something with a solid artistic Vision.   With each passing deployment, more and more requests for original military sets of organizational lithographs presented themselves.   With each project, I aimed to improve not only the end product, but the quality of the interactions & relationships.  My artist ethos was maturing;  I began realizing and appreciating all the positive influences and role models from which I drew inspiration.

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I was also very fortunate (when not deployed to the Middle East) to have had several assignments and duties that took me back to Europe numerous times.  Influences were also extended amounts of time living in Germany, Italy, Bosnia, England, Crete, & Romania.  Exposure to the "Old Country" also added great value during this incredible journey;  it also allowed me to improve my spoke German & French.   I had finally figured out what "Gesundheit" meant and where it originally came from.

 

Concurrently with each passing year, I also became more and more exposed to iconic, well-designed, and timeless offerings in life such as Porsche & Harley-Davidson.  I began to fully understand and authentically appreciate the importance of selfless service & consistently adding high value to your community, organization, and the world.  It was not about the transactional execution of minimal tasks;  there was no success in mediocrity.  In order to be extraordinary or to offer the extraordinary, but definition, an ordinary approach is simply not enough.  This thinking translated into my fine art.  By our very human nature, we gravitate towards high-quality & well-made products & services.  It also had to be singularly unique, precisely produced with the highest quality, and it had to offer high value & meaning---just like the iconic work of Bill Maudlin.

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In the back of my mind, I wanted to contribute and give back to our GWOT Generation just like Maudlin had given back to the Greatest Generation.

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Over the past 30 plus years of developing my artistic talents, I have deliberately tried to look to and emulate historical figures, role models, fellow artists, art forms, and finely-crafted products in the marketplace and transcribe that into my artistic projects & offerings.  

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