Phil Wagner
Philip Wagner came to art via the political upheaval of the sixties. Phil Wagner went to grad school in economics, served in the Peace Corp, and then went to law school. In Paris, he made political documentaries, wrote for an underground newspaper, and back in the USA, did time in military prison for resisting. Phil witnessed ten of his friends die as a consequence of Viet Nam. Phil was married and had a wonderful child. He taught poetry and illustrated journaling in the Veterans of Foreign War and in the Mental Health Client Action Network. So "Why do so many PTSD victims come to art?" Knowing that all trauma begins with an attachment disorder and that art shows itself as a way to re-establish that disorder in individuals. An important aspect of good art is the dynamic: Art moves. It transforms the artist and the viewer. Art reenacts the artist’s transformational process of balancing his skills and knowledge with his passion, sensuality, inspiration and dreams.
