Michael Rizza is 95 years young, still excited about sculpting and here at Studio Severn Arts we are featuring his amazing stone and bronze pieces. Michael's connection to the arts began when he was a child. His older brother was taking an art class in New York City, so Michael was sent along because it was safer with two young boys taking the subway together. He went on to take a drafting class in high school and then applied to be a draftsman after graduating because he couldn't afford college. Some of his adult life was spent designing ornamental work for high rises in New York. He did not necessarily consider his work "art" but took opportunities to be creative when they came along - for example, when he worked on a project with sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Michael later owned a business creating seismic seals and has a number of patents in his name for products he designed.
Over the years, Michael has studied art through various programs and community college classes. Michael credits one of his junior college professors with helping him recognize the need to develop his own vision for his work. Michael had created a portrait of a women in bronze and attached it to a teak bowl. The professor gave him an A for the finish but asked Michael when he was "going to do something from within." After that, Michael's work became about expressing his own ideas about form instead of copying what already existed.
Michael has created sixty maquettes, or small scale models of a fully-realized three dimensional sculpture. However, he has executed only fifteen of them as full scale works. Michael says he would "need two lifetimes" to complete the number of works he has envisioned. His plan is to give some of the maquettes to his associates because he realizes he won't be able to finish them all.
About fifteen years ago, Michael developed macular degeneration and is now considered legally blind. However, his generous spirit and willingness to mentor younger sculptors has resulted in his having a number of artist friends who help him continue his work.
