The Artwork of Gordon Paul Mischke
About the Artist
Gordon Mischke - "Coaxing the Divine from Her Hiding Places"
"My art is a record of my relentless search for the Divine Mother. I continually
attempt to coax the Divine from Her hiding places - from the stone, the steel,
the glass, the wood with which I sculpt - using the heart, the mind, the will,
the hands which are in the tools She has given me."
Gordy was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, back in the days before zip codes. In
the time when Grand Rapids, MN was always getting confused with Grand Rapids,
MI.
Interested in art for as long as he can remember, Gordy was turned on to "fine
art" during a high school field trip to Bemidji State College. When he saw the
huge paintings on exhibit, he knew right then and there that he wanted to be an
artist.
After pursuing a degree in art, he taught art in the public schools in Indiana
at the elementary school level. He loved teaching the children and compares it
to "playing all day long." Gordy has carried that passion for teaching art to
children into his involvement in youth art through the Sonoran Arts League's
programs to foster art education.
So, how did he get to where he is today? Starting out with a bit of painting
during college, Gordy quickly realized that sculpture was his love. Moving to
Arizona in 1974, Gordy started working with cast concrete. He created forms in
clay and then made plaster molds of the clay and replaced the clay with poured
concrete. Embedding pieces of steel and found objects in the clay and including
them in the final casting enabled him to create sculptures that combined the
various materials. These are several of his works from that initial period of
his career:
By the mid-1980s, Gordy had moved into working with steel, copper, and stone.
His sculptures began reflecting his translating spiritual concepts into solid
models... something of substance. His ideas come from the very material itself.
"The Other Side" is Gordy's translation of the esoteric astral plane into his
vision.
As the building boom picked up momentum in Arizona, Gordy found his work in
demand, not only as pure art, but also as architecturally decorative items. His
sculpture has adorned such locations as the Radisson at Fort McDowell and even
our very own Carefree Town Center. Gordy donated that piece seen in the two
right hand pictures below to help start the Sonoran Arts League scholarship
fund.
His architectural creations can be seen in many of the premier homes in the
valley in the form of wood carving, sand blasted glass, gates and railing.
All work and no play doesn't suit Gordy, so he has his whimsical side as well,
and in a takeoff on Picasso's famous quote of "It took me four years to paint
like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child", Gordy likes to say that
he's been trying his entire life to get his art to look like what comes from the
mind of a child. He might just be there... :)
To start the creation of your masterpiece call 480 540-4980.