By day, 83-year-old Washington Crossing resident Peter Engelbach advises clients regarding their finances at J. Alden Associates Inc., the wealth investment firm he founded in 1994. During weekends, this stockbroker creates impressionistic sculptures of bronze, steel, copper or aluminum. Given that the left side of human brains is generally responsible for logic and language, while the right side is responsible for creativity and intuition, Peter appears to be the perfect example of living life as successfully brain-ambidextrous.
While his firm is located in Doylestown, he resides in Traditions at Washington Crossing, a naturally beautiful community for active, older citizens in Upper Makefield Township near the Delaware River.
"I always liked research, and originally thought I wanted to work in psychology or employee relations," he says.
While Peter's been in the stock brokerage business since 1965, he says he currently considers himself semi-retired. In his nearly 60 years of financial management, he states the industry moved from more simple stocks and bonds options to "sprouting into a multiheaded, complex financial services industry" with a myriad of investments, options and products. He adds that compliance aspects of the industry became "gargantuous" over the decades.
After completing a master's of business administration degree at Columbia University and an advanced degree at the London School of Economics, this Philly-born professional's first job was in New York City at international powerhouse Kuhn, Loeb & Co. He now has two partners and has grown from 20 to 120 brokers.
However, even his office at his firm emotes an artistic archeological vibe due to the unique pieces of hand-carved masks, art, paintings and pottery with which he surrounds himself.
Sometimes calling his artwork "figurative humanoids or representational pieces," Peter started taking sculpting classes at Bucks County Community College in Newtown about 12 years ago. "I can't draw a straight line but I'm good at conceptualizing," he states.
Now obtaining inspiration from pictures, art books, shapes and antique auctions, Peter recalls his interest in metal sculpting starting in 1970 when a friend was conducting direct metal welding. "It was really creative, and I assembled some pieces with found metal at Cheltenham Arts Center. From there, I got into casting, using the lost-wax method," he says.
Sometimes, he notes that he sees intriguing wooden items and thinks he could do them in metal.
The process he follows takes molding, layers of waxing, eight to 10 dippings/coatings, time and patience. He says he's learned various technical skills, foundry methods and new casting techniques at Bucks College, for which he proclaims has a beautiful setup and great instructors. "They're the only community college whose art department has a national ranking, which for the 80 percent of us who are repeat sculpting students, it serves as our working studio," he says.
Sculpting classes are offered at the college during spring and fall semesters. Peter says he typically produces one or two sculptures per session. Some of his pieces are indoor artworks composed of bronze, steel or foam coated with paint.
In addition to giving away his sculptures and often being encouraged by others to offer them for sale, Peter says he sold one "once by accident."
"I was heading an art committee at a country club, and we hosted an art show before Mother's Day for members to contribute something to sell. I added one of my sculptures, and someone insisted on buying it," Peter fondly recalls.
"I always considered myself an entrepreneurial salesman," quips Peter Engelbach, a Washington Crossing resident who's both stockbroker and sculpture artist.