It was a pile of rubble that changed Tony Walker’s life. On a chance stroll past a wooded dumping ground, he stumbled upon a cache of white statuary marble. The raw potential in those gleaming white stones struck a chord in the (then) surgical nurse. Instantly, he decided to become a sculptor.

Over the next seven years, Walker taught himself to shape the chunks into more than 40 sculptures using discarded surgical drill bits. Some have been commissioned, like the one neurosurgeon Ben Carson gave to his wife as a 25th anniversary present: a violin nestled in a heart.

Then Walker, now an endoscopy nurse, and his wife Melinda, also a Hopkins nurse, decided to take their liaison with art to the next level. Their mission: to open a small gallery in Baltimore’s funky Fells Point neighborhood. They bought an old rowhouse, and, undaunted by rotted floors or water running down the walls, they renovated it themselves. “My wife is not only brave, she’s the business brains behind this venture,” says Walker. “I’m just the handyman.”

Gallery ID8 opened in March 2004 as an eclectic showcase for local and regional artists. Beyond the clay alien heads and kitschy oil paintings of fairies, there are museum-quality photographs and paintings, intricate metal sculptures, even several of Walker’s pieces. ID8 has regular shows with wine-and-cheese openings, and is a favorite stop on the Fells Point Art Loop (www.fellspointartloop.com). And soon, the gallery will unleash a new draw—free wireless Internet service.

The Walkers recently bought and moved into the house next door after living above ID8 for a year. (The quarters proved a bit cramped with a teenage daughter who’s into xylophones.)

Meanwhile, Sigma Theta Tau, the national honor society of nursing, has asked Walker to contribute his story and photos of his sculptures to be published in the second edition of The HeART of Nursing. The book offers a glimpse into nurses’ interiority, while exploring and advancing definitions of art in nursing.

While Walker would like to one day be known as a sculptor, his expectations aren’t lofty. “I just hope I inspire more people to feel joy through creating art,” he says. “Too many are afraid to try something creative because they think it won’t be good enough. So I tell them, think of art as a journey. You never know where the path will lead you.”

Gallery ID8 is located at 2007 Fleet Street in Baltimore. Inf 410-276-8190 or www.galleryid8.com

-From Hopkins Nurse, Fall 2005

PHOTO: Tony Walker: endoscopy nurse, self-taught marble sculptor, and now, owner of Gallery ID8 in Fells Point.