My working life and career

1956 to 1968

In 1956, my career started at the age of sixteen in window decorating ladies ware windows. Specializing in prop designs for seasonal window dressings

Also

Part-time in 62 to 68 I spent time as a standup comedian part of the comedy team of  Nite and Daye Playing night clubs in the Delaware Valley area.

1968 to 1972

From 1968 to 1972, I went to work for - Phil Turner’s display company of Ocean City NJ. Specializing in float design (parade floats example Miss America Parade). We did Shopping malls in the Delaware Valley area and hotel decorating in Philadelphia, and Atlantic City, boat parades, plus large functions, also retail businesses located in the business districts and boardwalks where we did window decorating and store design. In this time, I took lesson’s illustration art and learned to draw in perspective. From Jim Pulvino, a very talented art teacher and fine artist

1972 until today self owned business, and free lance artist designer In 1972, I left Turners Display to go into business for myself. I opened a store called Artist Corner in my home town of Ocean City NJ. We sold Art supplies and did custom framing. I also continued in my free-lance art doing all the above. At this time, I was taught by Jerry Clibbinoff of Reliable Framing and Molding Co. He thought me the ways of business, and custom framing.

In 1974 while on a free lance job with my brother decorating some gift shop windows. The owner of the store asked me a life changing question. The Question: He said! If I placed you in a spot that was ground zero. Where Thousands of people passed by and each of them had a dollar could you get them to spend a quarter in the name of art?

My answer to that question was yes! And that it brought me to the creation of a retail business all in the name of art. It was located on the boardwalk in Wildwood NJ. It went by the name of Artist Alley a working artist studio with a full staff of artist in their own businesses under one roof.

We did the full range of mixed media artwork Portraits, Silhouette art, Photography, Print Art, Fine Arts, and Floral Decorations, Etc. Each artist had his own setup and shared his profits with the house. After my first year, I brought the idea back to Ocean City NJ. I renamed it back to Artist Corner a name recognized by my home-town people.

We were located at Wonderland Pier by the merry go round. I spent six happy years there from 74 to 80. It was a lot of fun and very exciting in the winter months I would line up my free-lance jobs.

In 1980, my marriage cracks up, and I walk away from my artist career. Into the brand-new casino era that came into Atlantic City. Figuring I’d make a great casino host. I thought this do to my experiences in show business and fronting my artist studios on the boardwalks.

I was hired by Bally’s as a restaurant host with the opportunity to work myself into the position I desired. Within a short period of time, I was promoted to be a restaurant supervisor, where the opportunity to advance was good in the Food and Beverage division of the casino industry.

An opening came up for me to host and manage the night club called Billy’s Pub a beautiful Lounge right off the casino floor it was a great time in my life to work with my serving staff, and the entertainers on stage to make the casino patrons happy in their stay at Bally’s.

In October of 86, my Mom unexpectedly passed away. I made a vow to our father in heaven to be with her in the Kingdom of heaven. Little did I know at the time of this promise? How my life would change. Little by little I started to realize how hard it was for me to keep that promise. As time drifted by I began to see the non productiveness of my life. Throughout my career at Bally, everyone knew I was the artist. Bally, and my bosses let me work in my art by giving me permission to do murals throughout the back of the house areas. We did them to enhance the employee’s moral. I also had a bank of windows behind Billy’s in the public area where I was able to show and sell my paintings. Most people knew me as the artist host of Billy’s Pub. It all seemed so great to the naked eye. However, somewhere deep within I became weary and unhappy.

In 1987! I picked up a book called “You can heal your life” by Louise Hay; in which she taught me to picture my life the way I wanted it to be! Believe it! And it would be so. It occurred to me instead of just reading this book. I decided to live and work the book. I did that by imagining as if I was back in school, and the book was part of my daily lessons. In her writing as soon as Louise put up a question. I would write down my answers in a daily log. Before long, there were pages and pages of affirmations. I read these affirmations into a micro recorder and played them back to myself every chance I could. After a time, all of my new input pushed out my negative ways, and I could see my life starting to change. All the negative influences in my life people places and things began to drop out of my life.

Louise also promised me that if I worked at what she was writing. I would find my faith. Which had indeed fallen far behind me? At this time of being all excited with my new way of thinking I met up with my son John and my daughter Kelly for breakfast at a local diner.

After we were seated by the windows my son John asked! Hey Dad! How’s that new book you are reading coming along? What’s it called? You can heal your life?

Bink! That’s all I needed. There I was back as the standup comic. I stood up, and said! Well, John I’ll tell you! Do I have the suit? (An Armani) Do I have the ring? (An 18 carrot pinky ring) Pointing out the window Am I driving the car? (An Oldsmobile rag top) then reaching into my pocket. Do I have the wad? Can I pay this check? But I’ll tell you what John There is something in my life that I don’t have right now, and that’s a telescope. Not any Mickey Mouse telescope from Woolworths. I’m talken a real one; you know a big fat white one with the black strap around it. The kind that if you look up at the moon. You can really see its face! John came right back! He said; you know Dad I think I can help you with that one. That guy mom was going with was an astrologer, and he gave me and Mike a telescope for Christmas. Its brand new, still in the box we never even opened it because we couldn’t really stand that guy. I’ll bring it over tonight after work. Wow! I really couldn’t believe this. Here was Louise’s book working out in my life with my son at this very moment. As she would say when things came through and stuff would happen. “It’s working”

After work, John brings in the wooden create holding the telescope. When I saw it, I thought of the Jules Vern Movie Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It was a wooden nailed create with metal straps. We cut the straps and pried open the box. Whack! There it was! Inside that box! To our great surprise nestled in all the loose packing material. There was a big fat white telescope with a black strap around it. We were in awe! John went ahead and set it up for me. After he was finished, I noticed that it was pointed to the sky. I realized that tomorrow when it was light all I would see was blue. So I then asked him to point it down in that way I would see the grasses out on the bay. He did that for me, and I thanked him with all my heart.

Early the next morning I came out to look into my brand-new telescopes’ lens, I wet my eyes to clear my site. I looked out the window into the wetlands and only saw the grass in the far distance. I then looked into the lens that was built into the side of the scope. In my direct view was a white snowy egret pruning its self

Time stopped! It was him and me. There we were together in this private moment in time. I was blown away; I pulled away in disbelief, and looked out the window to see if I could see him in my plain eyesight. As I looked in the grass all that I could see was a little white speck I looked back into the lens, and there he was again! Still there, it was, as if he knew I was looking at him. With that said. The next thing that happened to be fantastic! He looked right back at me. Bing-Bam-Boom! His eye was like the sun bright yellow with a black pupil that was staring right through me. The one thing that came into my mind was that this was a holy experience. At that moment, my mom came into my mind, and I remembered the vowel I made at the time of her death. “Mom I will be with you in the Kingdom of  heaven” What I realized at that time was that I had been inspired as an artist by this happening, and that I had to make this meaningful in my life. Somehow, I had to recreate this experience into artwork, and change my life. The question was how? Within a very short time, major things began to happen to change my life. A settlement came through in my long divorce, which gave me a stake in my future. This occurrence enabled me to think, and do what I wanted. I began my new life by remembering the words of  Louise Hay “Picture how you want your life to be. Believe it and it’s so.” I pictured me making beautiful artwork, with people liking, and buying it. Now I had the means and opportunity to do it. Atlantic City at this time became a million miles away. It might as well have been on the other side of the world.

On Independence Day July 4^th 1987 I reported to work, for my shift. However, I did not go to work. Instead, I

went to my boss and said that I wanted to leave Bally, and go home to watch the sun rise, and start a new life in my art work. They were shocked at my proposal, and gave me three weeks leave to contemplate my decision. That

very next-day July 5^th 1987 was the beginning of my brand-new Art Work by Gar Era. With my stake money from

the divorce, and severance pay, I received from Bally. I went back to my free-lance art career. Turner’s display was now owned by Sheldon Fish, who replaced me after I left Phil Turner’s years earlier. Sheldon and I did some wonderful and amazing work together at casinos, parades, boardwalk businesses, restaurants, and window display. In this time, my son Michael Graduated from Otis Parsons and the Chicago Art Institute he came to live with me in Ocean City.

On Independence Day July 4^th 1987 I reported to work, for my shift. However, I did not go to work. Instead, I

 went to my boss and said that I wanted to leave Bally, and go home to watch the sun rise, and start a new life in my art work. They were shocked at my proposal, and gave me three weeks leave to contemplate my decision.

That very next-day July 5^th 1987 was the beginning of my brand-new Art Work by Gar Era. With my stake money

from the divorce, and severance pay, I received from Bally. I went back to my free-lance art career. Turner’s display was now owned by Sheldon Fish, who replaced me after I left Phil Turner’s years earlier. Sheldon and I did some wonderful and amazing work together at casinos, parades, boardwalk businesses, restaurants, and window display. In this time, my son Michael Graduated from Otis Parsons and the Chicago Art Institute he came to live with me in Ocean City.

I asked Mike for an unforgettable favor. I asked him if he could teach me what he had learned in college, and if he would become my teacher. To my great appreciation, he said yes. The first thing we did was have him replace me on the Turner free lance jobs which were many. This way, he was working and had money to live. I stayed home to be his student in the fine arts. I changed the condo into a working artist studio. There for the next year Mike was my professor. He worked in my place at Turners and in his spare time he did a series of large paintings. It was all in the name of art, and became one of the most treasured years of my life. There we were at Safe Harbor (the name of my street) Doing our thing. Michael taught me all he could remember from his learning days in the school of art. He showed me all the fundamentals, and lessons that he learned himself. The paintings began to flow.

I did a series of paintings in tempera of sail boats, horse racing, the holy knights of the crusades, flowers, boats, and paintings of my photos from a trip, I took to the Gate Ways (The North Shore), New Bedford, and Newport Road Island. I put my paintings in a local restaurant, and they began to sell. All of this went down in 87 and 88 the time of my spiritual awakening.

I was really inspired by seeing the Gate Ways. What the people up there call the sky. I saw it all! The land, the sea and the sky, including the Northern Borealis Everything in the arts I wanted to do. The egret sighting through the telescope became the target of all my devotion. I figured that I would cut him out of wood something I did in making a lot my creations at Turners display. All I could see in my mind’s eye was the egret and all the other shore birds that existed by the sea and the bays. All the nautical visions of the eastern shores flooded into my mind. The visual aspects that I had seen throughout my life in the trips to the sea shore with my family and friends. The birds, boats, wetlands, docks, driftwood, rope, floats, it just goes on and on the beauty of it all. Off I went to Sears and purchased the tools, I needed to create my visions. My art studio went from art studio to slash carpenter shop. Before long, my condo became filled with all my paintings, and brand new wood crafts. As the work piled up there became no more room at the inn. It was now 1989 my home was filled with all my finished art work. I decide to rent a store front to show my work for the holidays. A spot came up in downtown Ocean City in the ten hundred blocks on Asbury Avenue.

It was a fair price, and my opening day was set for October 7th 1989 it did not occur to me at the time, that this was the date of my mom’s passing, when I worked at Bally’s, and made that vowel. Which now seemed like it was a life time ago? I parked my car and walked up to my shop on that fate filled day of my life. There were people all about as I approached Asbury Avenue, I saw Mr. Gleeson from Gleeson’s TV. He said! “Hey Gar” Get up to your shop, and get your art work out there on the street this is the Oktoberfest Block Party today! I hastened my way to the shop and proceeded to set up my art work in front of the studio the artwork looked tremendous as I placed it along the wall and in front of the windows. The people that were passing by were looking at the work with a wide-eyed look that was very confusing to me. I felt depressed and rejected at the same time all I could do was give them my business card, and tell them that If they were looking for something beautiful and special for Christmas to think of my artwork and contact me. When the day ended, I had handed out all of my cards and did not sell one piece of my art work. I just could not understand after all this time and all that work my work did not sell. It was devastating! Just few days passed and the phone started to ring the calls would start out by someone saying this past weekend I passed by your shop, and I saw these birds that were very beautiful and I can’t get them out of my mind. Could you please explain them to me? Yes, they are what I call the long winged gulls.

This was because when I made them, I would elongate one of their wings by making it longer than normal this gave them a very distinctive quality and an abstract look .When you see them, they have a mystical effect very surreal, in a way. It all went back to that egret I saw in the telescope. It reminded me the way his feathers flowed in the wind. That experience is what inspired me to make them. The people liked my explanations, and had me make them custom artworks. When my lease expired after the holidays, I rented the storefront full-time and went into The Art Work by Gar era in my life. Which has lasted up until today?

Throughout all these years, all of my work has come to me by people seeing it in person, and word of mouth. At this time career, I’m only at the studio by appointment. The rest of my time is spent in my work shop at home where I create my commissions and make works of art.

The main interests of my life are Christ.

Karen my love

Franko our dog

My Children and loved ones

Art work

Thoroughbred Horse Racing (The study of dosage)

Fun

The Philadelphia Eagles

The Holy Knights of The True Cross

And a good movie

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