Rather than be the actor, singer, artist or archaeologist that they once aspired to become they end up doing something quite different and more run-of-the-mill for the sake of financial security.
But the dream can come true – to a greater or lesser extent. If you want it badly enough you can make it happen through sheer drive, determination, and a bit of luck and often a bit of compromise.
Jeremy Schrecker is one of those who makes a living from his art, but to obtain any measure of success he says that he needs to compromise a little to find a niche market.
Jeremy is a sculptor and metalworker who lives in Shrewsbury. His creative talents cover a broad range from large sculpture and detailed decorative work to the creation and resporation of railings and garden gates and even landscaping.
“To make a living from one’s art you cannot afford to be precious about things,” he says.
“People think that I’m this fine art sculptor, but I consider myself a craftsperson and maker of things.”
But whether he is creating a bronze figure or forging a set of railings, simply working with the materials he loves gives him that artistic buzz.
Jeremy, who moved to Shrewsbury from London in 1993, specialises in the use of hard stone, particularly granite, stainless steel and bronze.
“The granite and hard stone is to do with the Earth’s energy. Getting to the core of where we come from is suggested by granite and stone. As Noguchi said: ‘Stone is that from which we come. It’s that to which we go back’.”
Challenging
“The reason I have chosen stainless steel is that it’s an untarnished metal which doesn’t decompose easily. It’s challenging to manipulate. It’s also a recent human invention which I feel an affinity with. I can use it successfully along with granite and other metals, to the ends of design and sculpture.”
At school Jeremy was like thousands of teenagers who enjoyed art. But instead of putting it aside in favour of a more secure career he went on to take on a foundation course at Wimbledon School of Art. He followed this with a BA degree at Winchester School of Art and then a master’s degree in fine art sculpture at the Royal College of Art.
In 1995 he attained the teaching qualification PGCE to add another string to his bow.
But only in 1996 did the vision for his future business emerge.
“I made a decision that I was going to learn the craft of forging, manipulating metal, with no job being too small and no project out of bounds.”
He found a suitable workshop, near Pontesbury, and has not looked back.
Now Jeremy’s work can be found across Shrewsbury and in different parts of the the country including the centre court development at Hammersmith Hospital, London.
His beautiful stainless steel birds – a recent commission – can be seen adorning the exterior walls of Shropshire Homes’ luxury apartment development, Century House, in Shrewsbury.
He created a small garden and granite and stainless steel sculpture in the grounds of Millington Hospital, Shrewsbury. His work is evident at the Real Art Gallery, Shrewsbury, and he was commissioned for several environmental sculptures and the Kingfisher Restaurant, at the Sheepy Parva, near Tamworth.
Jeremy has undertaken several large garden commissions which have included sculpture, railings, gates and landscaping. Yet he still has time for the small exhibition pieces – some of which can be found at Number 9 The Gallery, Brindley Place, Birmingham. While these might be seen as more akin to the work of a sculptor, Jeremy regularly advertises his services for metalwork.
