Artist
Bending the Line
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Any artist worth cutting the hair off a
small animal to make a paintbrush for is driven to his
craft with a definite purpose in mind. For some, this
purpose takes on worldly proportions as they seek to
change their world in some way through the portrayal
of certain subjects. For others, theirs is to create
something beautiful to enhance the feeling of the room
where the artwork is located. Strangely enough the
artwork of Melton R. Guthrie seeks to accomplish
neither goal specifically, but as he strives to make
an intensely visceral connection with the viewer he
often inadvertently achieves both of these goals. You
WILL have a reaction to his work. It's mere presence
is the catalyst for conversation and since 88% of the
time the subject is humorous, the resultant laughter
can lower the stress level in an entire roomful of
people. As each of these folks tells their friends
and family about the paintings, stress levels in an
entire block could be affected. See what I mean about
worldly proportions? Suffice it to say that the years
this artist has spent observing his fellow man have
not been wasted in the paint.
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Melton R. Guthrie is a 44 year old self taught artist currently residing in the wide spot in Highway 77 referred to as Tanglewood, Texas. The son of a first grade teacher and a football coach, Melton learned at an early age that he could win friends and influence people with his artistic talent as he was the "new kid" at seven different schools in four different states. His first print issue came in the sixth grade in the form of a Xeroxed copy of a psychedelic rendition that could be colored by classmates as the teacher lectured. Issue price was $0.02 and it made him outrageously popular with the teaching staff! Because "Only dead artists can make a living at it" his artwork was set aside as he obtained a BBA in Business after four years at the University of Texas. Four years of participating in the rat race that was the Houston real-estate market convinced Melton that the rats were winning and it was time to yield to his true calling as an artist. 1989 saw the completion of his 3600 sq. ft. studio and home patterned after a 19th century hotel and constructed almost entirely by the artist and the retired football coach. The rest as they say, is "History". Hey, the next time you find yourself headed to the Texas coast via Highway 77 and realize you are about 12 miles south of Rockdale, stop in and see what quiet possibly could be a true artistic genius at work. Of course it could be just a somewhat deranged man with a paintbrush trying to give your a funny one a tug! Enjoy |
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