THE BACKSTORY:
How did I find out about this talented man? In a dentist chair, of course! In my many visits to his office, I had noticed this beautiful bust sculpture at the checkin area, but had NO idea that my dentist was the artist!
Turns out, the sculpture is of his father, William Salling, Sr. - pictured above. Below, a picture of his son's bust of him. Frankly, I was blown away! But back to the story of how I "discovered" William Salling:
Somehow, in conversation, I found out that not only was he the amazing artist, but that he was in the middle of a really BIG project! When he invited me to drop by his backyard studio, actTWO was ready to go!
By the way, Dr. Salling still works at his OTHER job - creating smiles - and frankly, I hope he continues BOTH careers for YEARS to come!
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PURSUING YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAM: Take classes - give it a try! Check out your community college, recreation center, museum, college or university, or try to find a local teacher, like William Salling did. If that's too much for you - especially if you want to first see if you'd like to pursue it - go to YouTube and look for "how to" videos. Whatever your art form, you may find a number of instructors on YouTube, so try to find someone you like.
LOCATION SHOOT: WILMINGTON, NC
Dr. Salling's dental office is located in Wilmington, not far from Wrightsville Beach. Wilmington, which sits on the Cape Fear River, is well known for many reasons - film production, its historic district, and UNC-Wilmington, among them - but many people come to Wilmington to visit the World War II Battleship North Carolina, which saw action in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theatre.
Here's the Battleship's website: battleshipnc.com
Here's the city of Wilmington's website: wilmingtonnc.gov
And, just in case you're interested, here's Dr. Salling's website: sallingtate.com