A Life's Impact on Design by adam Slick ...cont But it isn’t a quest for the perfect piece that keeps Mize motivated. Even at the age of eight, growing up on a farm in southwest Virginia, Mize knew he needed to articulate his visions. Although his parents had trouble understanding his gift, he kept drawing the images in his head. At age 20, his ideas added a third dimension as he started to sculpt with wood. The new challenge forced him to look at his ideas in different ways. Although painstaking and at some times frustrating, he splits time evenly between painting and sculpture. When inspired, Mize can work well through the night, sometimes unaware he’s worked for eight hours straight. Mize’s philosophy on art is simple and straightforward. “I believe that art is really an expression, to some degree, that we have no control over. Whether you’re a painter or a writer, you’re life experiences effect your work. And even if you deliberately try to alter that, only to a certain degree will you be successful because the life has more impact than design....” Slick's complete piece on Mize and further examples of Mize's work can be found in our Spring '98 Issue. Forward -- Previous -- Contents