About the Artist

"As a kid, I was always involved in making things, usually from found objects or from pieces of broken toys. Growing up with plastic army men, I was always involved in creating environments in which my army men could move about safely. My father was a butcher in a small market and my Mom was always at home, busy taking care of my brother and me. At an early age, I discovered that art was a field of interest that I was totally involved in.

"I experimented with sports in high school, trying to win the hearts of beautiful girls, but was never too successful. At this time, I discovered cars and how girls loved cars. I was asked to paint and stripe all of the cool cars at school. Both the hoods and jocks protected me from evil, and appreciated what I could do for them.

"After graduating from high school, I was driving down the road one day and saw a bumper sticker which read, "Ceramics, The World's Most Fascinating Hobby." Wow, I was hooked. I became involved in ceramics which lead to sculpture while at San Jose State University in California. I went on to the University of California at Berkeley and received an MFA degree in art.

"In 1971 I won The Rome Prize Fellowship in Sculpture and went to Rome, Italy for two years to work. After Rome, I taught a year at The Rhode Island School of Design, and then moved back to California to teach at the University of California at Santa Cruz. In later years while traveling to Rome, I met my wife Linda, also an artist, and now we have two beautiful daughters, Benita, 9, and Lucia, 13. I am very fortunate to have experienced the things that influenced my art and helped me create the most wonderful family that a person could have."

— Robert Strini

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