Meet the Artist: Stuart Dwork

Name: Stuart Dwork

Born: Brooklyn, NY

Lives: Clearwater

Medium: painting in watercolor, oil and acrylic

Background:

Stuart Dwork grew up in Brooklyn with an artist for a father and no desire to follow in dad’s footsteps. But when he passed an entrance exam to the prestigious Cooper Union school in New York City, his mother implored him to forgo medical school and follow his talent.

“Mom said ‘take the test, you’re no doctor,’ and she was right,” he recalls.

A two-year stint as an illustrator in the army turned him on to the plight of veterans, and even after becoming creative director of a successful advertising company and travelling the world, Dwork never forgot about showing appreciation to those who served.

After semi-retiring from advertising, Dwork opened a shop in Naples, where he sold his custom hand-made sea shells, before moving to the Safety Harbor area a dozen years ago. Although he works in many mediums, his portraits of veterans are starting to gain national recognition.

“The military aspect of painting has become my passion,” he said. “Soldiers coming home with post-traumatic stress disorder are using art as therapy. It’s therapeutic.” 

From Ft. Lee, VA, to MacDill Air Force Base

After getting drafted during Vietnam at the age of 23, Dwork worked as an illustrator at Ft. Lee, VA; soon he was organizing shows for the troops featuring song, dance and art.

It was while stationed here, after winning a large army talent show, that Dwork created his most iconic work - a stirring portrait of one soldier cradling another on the field of battle titled ‘Never Forget Them’.

"The painting was created while I was in the  Army in 1964," Dwork says. "It was my way of saying 'no more war'; it's about your buddy and caring for each other, even in battle."

That portrait’s success — Dwork has had discussions about turning it into a postage stamp and a copy hangs at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa — was a precursor to many years of honoring and assisting veterans.

In addition to numerous pieces he’s created for and about the military, Dwork has worked for a number of organizations dedicated to America’s veterans, including the Greater Tampa Veteran’s Committee and Star Spangled Art. 

“I was a scrawny little 23-year-old from Brooklyn, running around with 18-year olds,” Dwork says of his time at Ft. Lee. “It was rare to let somebody do what they did on the outside ... so that really gave me my start.”

Where You Can Find Dwork's Work

Dwork, who lives in Clearwater right near Safety Harbor, doesn’t usually sell his work — “If I sell it then I don’t have it anymore,” he reasons — but his original pieces can be seen in many venues throughout the Tampa Bay area. 

His paintings have been displayed at places such as Bright House Networks headquarters, Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Largo Cultural Center and the Leepa-Ratner Museum in Tarpon Springs. He has also been featured in a variety of magazines and newspapers, and he is working on a mural at MacDill. 

Also, Dwork’s The Exhibiting Society of Artists, a nonprofit that organizes shows for local artists at area galleries, meets regularly at the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

He says a giclee of 'Never Forget Them' currently hangs in the new CENTCOM building at MacDill, and the painting is being used in publicity ads for various Veterans Day events.

But no matter how much recognition he receives, Dwork says he will always create art solely for the sake of being creative.

"My whole thing is, I'm into creating, not cookie cutting. Who cares about the money? Life's too short."