Jerry Wire, a Delaware County resident was born and raised in Madison County. In his youth he was influenced by his grandfather’s oil paintings of Brown County and Beanblossom Overlook.

 

Wire began his art education in high school at Madison Heights where he designed a school shield that was installed on the gymnasium wall. He also worked on stage sets for student plays and began drawing pastel portraits of students. He continued his education at Ball State University majoring in U.S. History and minoring in art.

 

He is a veteran of the Air Force and after discharge moved to Muncie and worked at Ball Brothers as a computer operator. He worked as a teacher of art at Muncie Community Schools for over 30 years and volunteered at Minnetrista for various art projects after he retired.

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Wire is an art hobbyist who has dabbled in both two and three-dimensional projects in charcoal and pastels, oils, acrylic portraits, ceramics, throwing, terra-cotta, papier-mâché, kites, mosaics, weaving, hyper-tufa garden sculptures and printmaking. His main interest is in art history and the study of the men and women over the ages of Western Civilization, their interpretation of life, and how they handled their subjects.