This is my art mentor and friend, Bert Schmutzhart. Rather than my usual mini-interview, I could write a book about Bert. Actually, I did! My historical novel, Soldier Boy Blue, is based on the story of Bert, as an Austrian teenager, being drafted into the German army in 1945, as the war was winding down. His experience in fighting off the advancing Soviet army at Budapest, his capture by the Russians, and his amazing escape make a compelling narrative.

I met Bert in 1969, when I enrolled in his sculpture class at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC., and we've been friends ever since. He taught me everything I know about sculpting and introduced me to his life-long passion - building and flying glider planes.

I could go on, but in a nutshell, I will say this: Bert is a very talented artist, an inspiring teacher, a solid friend, and the most down-to-earth , no-nonsense human being  I have ever known.

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