Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Mackey.
jim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
i grew up in Appalachia about 50 miles from Gettysburg. i was a bastard child in the Bible Belt in the 1950s and 1960s; which was a liability growing up. We were quite poor and held on by a thread. i was thought of as a dumb fat child. i had dyslexia and other learning difficulties, plus being bipolar which were never diagnosed. Even answering these questions is a difficult undertaking. Anyhow, i lost weight and became a serious fundamentalist around age 15. At that time i was fortunate enough to have an Art Teacher that believed in me and my interest and efforts with Art. She also introduced me to the prints of Andy Warhol to which i had a real spiritual experience realizing that anything was possible in Art. This spiritual experience was the beginning of my escape from hard core fundamentalism. i owe a great deal to Warhol and he continues to be one of my heroes. In the few years after this i suffered a couple of breakdowns in which doing Art helped me recover. The adolescence years were horrible with severe bipolar episodes and no diagnosis. i was unable to maintain relationships and have friends. i am also likely autistic… but again no diagnosis. i am unable to totally finish my story due to the difficulty of entering this information. i was 44 till i had a bipolar 1 diagnosis with numerous failed relationships and a couple divorces. i have been in the psych ward numerous times and have been in jail. i am also an alcoholic, who hasn’t drank for a number of years. actually i am not the dumb person i was branded as a kid. Art has been my salvation! i live on my disability payments since about age 45. i have Art in about a half dozen Permanent Collections including 13 pieces in the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. i can’t respond more to this question; i am exhausted
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has never been smooth; i am always in the process of staying ahead of my demons and maintaining my soberity.. It takes constant attention and effort to keep moving forward. Doing Art is the main part of hanging in there, plus attention to my spiritual condition.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
i am known for my raw and truthful Art. Many people don’t consider me an Artist. i am not a traditional Artist. i do assemblages and sculptures… mainly primitive totems. Before my wooden totems, i was known mostly for my collages and found object assemblages; which i continue to be actively engaged in. i do paint, but do not consider myself a painter. i also do photography, but again i do not consider myself a photographer. Being in the Permanent Collection of the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation is my biggest win.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
i am not a happy person. Being at the seashore is my closest happy experience
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @abyss0414
