Arnold David Clapman  

3410 Parkington Avenue was a little bungalow with a California redwood facade. It was located in the Northwest section of Baltimore and it was here that Arnold grew up with his sisters, Nannette, Faith and Francine. This was also the place where, inspired by the little drawings of household objects his father Abe made while teaching him to read, Arnold began creating art.

In  elementary  school at the  Talmudical Academy  and later  at  Baltimore City College  high  school,  Arnold  became known  for his illustrations  and poster designs.

 

As a boy, he was influenced by the comic book art of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant in the Sunday funnies as well as the artwork of Jesse Marsh in the early Tarzan comics published by Dell. The singing cowboys of the silver screen as well as movies like " The Adventures of Robin Hood", "Ivanhoe", "The Three Musketeers", " The Mark of Zorro" and DeMille's" The Greatest Show On Earth" further inspired the young artist.

 

Arnold's mother Terri was very supportive of his art. She paid a neighborhood artist to privately instruct him in the use of charcoal and was later instrumental in his acquiring a 4 year scholarship to the Maryland Institute, College of Art. To cover the cost of books and art supplies, Terri got him a job playing bongos at a downtown cocktail lounge that eventually led to a drumming gig at the Gayety Burlesque Theater.

 

Arnold's art flourished in artschool and he avidly learned the basics of drawing, painting and graphic arts. Experimenting with styles and techniques he observed during his studies of Art History, Arnold was also deeply effected by the fiery colors and masterly brushstrokes of the Spanish bullfight painters of the 50's.