Rich Irwin has been a professional artist since 1965. He owned a small furniture store in Roseville and started painting pictures to go with various elements of home decor, but soon found that painting wasn't his real talent. Three dimentional metal sculpture was his forte and he embarked on a successful forty year career with his wife Sue as business partner.
Rich told me that he and his wife participated in as many as 30 shows a year. In order to keep up his inventory, he worked on his scuptures while they were on the road. It was a seven day a week, 10 to 14 hour a day job. After one particularly cold Christmas show in Minnesota, they decided they would try Las Vegas the next holiday season. It was a win win location with the warmth of Vegas and its abundant cash flow so they made it their holiday show destination from then on.
When it was time to retire about 8 years ago, Rich and his wife sold their large home in Placer County and moved to a smaller place in Grass Valley. Although he has slowed his pace, Rich still manages to make unique and wonderful pieces in his smaller workshop these days and he is ready for Winterfaire with Victorian houses, elaborately decorated bird houses and smaller dragonflies and roses for your garden. His bigger sculptures of biplanes and locomotives are filled with rich detail that left me in awe of this fabulous artisan's work.
Please come by Rich's booth at Winterfaire this year. Not only will you love talking with this interesting man, but you will find distinctive art that will make your home and garden sing.
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