career advice and police officer now famous artist

2 CAREER ADVICE FROM A TOP EVENT DESIGNER: With a background in diplomacy and film,
Bronson van Wyck of Van Wyck & Van Wyck in New York didn’t realize he was building
the skills to become a top event designer. But now, with a client list any event
pro would envy, he is in a position to share his take on how to thrive in the
industry. The Coveteur: “I think of an event as experience and experiences are
really, at their heart, stories that you live within. We always start with a
story: how are people going to feel when they get there and how do we want
to make them feel while they’re there? How do we want to change them and how
do we want them to feel when they leave? That’s a narrative; it’s a journey.
… If we’re working for a brand, there’s obviously always a story there
around the brand. We try to bring that to life with the event and use the
tools of hospitality. Events can be a really compelling and persuasive
platform for communication.”
http://bit.ly/1H7X7E4
-----------------------------------------
Share
Comment Email

Michael Wagner standing beside his work "Saul," a painting of Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash.

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A Stamford police officer is carving out a successful career as a painter.

Michael Wagner, 55, who will be celebrating his 20th year as a Stamford Police officer this
summer, is also a gifted artist who is currently showing his work in the Art About Town
exhibit in Westport. On his website, his paintings show a strong popular culture
influence with many paintings of artists such as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

"I'm not big on landscape or still life, although I do them. I really like trying
to capture the true spirit of a person through their likeness," Wagner said.

He arrived in Stamford after earning a degree from the Indiana University of
Pennsylvania in 1980. Although he went to study art, he said he took only one
career advice and Police Officer famous in art painting class and just eked out a pass.

"I only took one painting class in college, and I didn't do well in it," Wagner

said, explaining that he and the instructor differed strongly on their artistic
approaches. "I barely passed that class."

He switched to graphic design, which is how he arrived in late 1980 to work for
GE in Fairfield in advertising.

After a few years, he went freelance for about a year when Stamford-based Champion
International hired him for its creative services department. He was there for
about 10 years and ended up as manager of the department.

He left shortly before Champion was purchased by International Paper.

Wagner got to know the city's streets while running, which played a role in
n becoming a police officer.

"It was something that always fascinated me," he said about a career with the
police. "I took the Stamford test, and here it is 20 years later and I'm still doing it."

In the past 10 years he has become serious about his painting. Wagner said he
has drawn on others to grow as a painter and pointed to a German art instructor,
Sebastian Kruger, as an important influence.

"You pick up techniques by watching other people. That has really catapulted
what I have done almost at hyper-speed," Wagner said. "I don't labor
over paintings any more. I can do paintings in two weeks before it would
take me a month-and-a-half."

However, he said the careers are related. As a police officer, Wagner
carefully watches people's faces to see whether they are telling the truth.
He said that is similar to the close attention he pays to faces when doing portraits.

"People who know me as an artist have a hard time thinking of me as a
police officer and people who know me as a police officer have a hard
time thinking of me as an artist," he said.