Bill Guffey Portfolio 2016 by Bill Guffey

Bill Guffey Abstract Artist

BIOGRAPHY Bill Guffey (b. 1964) Bill Guffey was born and raised in the small, south central Kentucky town of Burkesville. Growing up in the rural area left much to be desired in the way of entertainment, and Guffey turned to drawing and painting at a young age. With no art teachers in the vicinity he took it upon himself to learn what he could through the use of television and books and magazines. He set up a booth at the annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the age of 12, with his simple, enthusiastic paintings. To his delight the high school started their first art class his senior year. The next few years to follow were filled with sketching, drawing, and painting sporadically, accompanied by much travel and adventure.

tion of almost 11,000 feet, the cabin had no electricity or running water, although the outhouse was one of the deepest in the region as it was set over a vertical mine shaft that was long unused. Living through a couple of winters in this place was possible for the young man, but was harder than anything Bill had experienced before. With no sunlight hitting the cabin directly in the winter, everything was to freeze as the cold, hard, snowy season set in. A hike of a half mile on a trail was required to reach the cabin in the forest, and if one day was missed walking the packed trail it would be lost to the snow which seemed to fall almost daily. Steps were dug out of the deep snow at the front of the cabin to get up to the level of the trails to town, to the outhouse, and to the beaver pond. Some sketching and pastel work was done while living in the cabin, but most of this time was spent on surviving, and enjoying the mountain man lifestyle.

After the cabin, a few more years were spent in Breckenridge enjoying the Leaving Kentucky, Bill headed west as a young man and ended up in the ski town life and living with a cast of characters that would challenge any ski resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado. After the first winter of over modern day sitcom. More than a decade after leaving Kentucky, Bill re300 inches of snow he was ready for a warm destination. So it was off to the turned home to open (and close) a bookstore, get married, start a family, Caribbean. Bill lived for a short time on the small island of St. John, in the and finally have the stability and support to get serious about his art. U.S. Virgin Islands. Beach life and night life was the laid back, and slowly paced norm on St. John, to which he was happy to endure both. Living in Bill now owns a building on a prominent corner of the courthouse square an apartment with only screens for windows and the daily lizards in the in Burkesville, Kentucky. He teaches classes there, and paints in the studio shower was a precursor of eclectic living situations for the young artist. every day. Up at 5 a.m. daily for the opportunity to paint before going to his job as a graphic artist at the local newspaper is just a small part of the After leaving the island life he headed back to the Rocky Mountains of devotion Bill has for his artistic journey. Bill gets up and paints every day. Colorado. He lived for a few months in Denver, in places that included the He tolerates chaos, and works harder at his craft than anything he has done house of a paranoid, tow truck driving, Harley riding acquaintance that in his entire life. thought a spell had been cast upon him, with loaded guns, snakes and tarantulas plentiful around the house; to a one story, old motel called the Titan in a rough part of the city, whose renters were financially challenged There have also been dozens of interviews with Guffey regarding his paintpeople like himself, along with addicts, prostitutes, and roaches; a couple of ings and techniques, and various projects he has taken on over the last few multi-roommate situations full of people from all walks of life; and finally years. These interviews, including newspaper, magazine, television and rato a basement apartment that was the most normal, warm, clean, and safe dio, can been seen on this website under the Press heading. place the 22 year old had lived in some time. Bill participates in many shows and competitions each year, including the The mountains were calling again and we would see Bill moving to a 100+ All Kentucky Juried Fine Art Exhibition; the Annual Holiday Miniatures year old mining cabin, just outside Breckenridge, Colorado. At an eleva- Exhibition at the Abend Gallery in Denver, Colorado; First Brush of Spring

in New Harmony, Indiana; artist residency in Breckenridge, Colorado; and numerous other locations and plein air venues.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Abstracted views of the earth and our surroundings drive the ideas behind A solo exhibition of Guffeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abstract work was held during the months my paintings. Whether composed with a birds-eye view or from seemingly of December 2015 and January 2016 at SKyPAC (Southern Kentucky Per- within, the shapes and colors explore what is essential for me to represent. forming Arts Center) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. My fascination with satellite views of fields, and the lay of the land, began my quest to show the earth in an abstract expressionist way. This journey Bill has been selected as an Emerging Artist by Art Galleries and Artists has taken me to points on the map that used to state, Here Be Dragons. It of the South magazine which can be seen in their Fall 2015 Issue, and on has been a journey of exploration, truths and consequences, but most of their website under the Emerging Artists heading. Recently Bill has taken all, change. These current paintings show a metamorphosis of my vision home a 1st Place Award at the 8th Annual Artworks, Inc. Members Exhibi- and style; an evolution. They are an extension of me. I have submerged tion 2015; a Best of Show and Merit Award, respectively, at the 7th Annual myself into their depths in hopes of bringing something new, fresh, and Artworks, Inc. Members Exhibition; 3rd place award at the Owensboro extraordinary back to the surface. Using oil paint and a variety of tools to Museum of Fine Art Plein Air Paint Out; and an Honorable Mention at the apply it, I spend hours at the easel every day, searching for the perfect com2013 All Kentucky Juried Exhibition. position, palette of colors, and abstraction. The pursuit of these things keep me coming back continually with more excitement than the day before.

GALLERIES Bill Guffey Studio and Gallery 500 Courthouse Square Burkesville, KY 42717 www.billguffey.com Ellis Walker Gallery 1945 Scottsville Road Bowling Green, Ky 42104 www.elliswalkergallery.com

EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWS All Kentucky Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2008, Capitol Arts Center, Bowling Green, Kentucky “Sizzling Summer” Show, June 2009, at the Gallery at 916 in Bowling Green, Kentucky Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction, September 6, 2009 in Rist Canyon, Colorado. 19th Annual Holiday Miniatures Show, Abend Gallery Fine Art, Denver, Colorado, December 4th through the 31st, 2009. All Kentucky Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2009, Capitol Arts Center, Bowling Green, Kentucky All Kentucky Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2010, Capitol Arts Center, Bowling Green, Kentucky Solo Show, September 2010, Gallery at 916, Bowling Green, Kentucky 20th Annual Holiday Miniatures Show 2010, Abend Gallery Fine Art, Denver, Colorado Featured Artist, Nov. - Dec. 2010, Gallery on the Square, Franklin, Kentucky Solo Charcoal Portrait Show, April 2011, Gallery at 916, Bowling Green, Kentucky 5 week Residency in the Breckenridge Arts District, Breckenridge, Colorado. April 11 - May 13, 2011 21st Annual Holiday Miniatures Show 2011, Abend Gallery Fine Art, Denver, Colorado Charcoal Portrait Show, State Capital, Frankfort, Ken-

tucky, General Assembly 1st Session, 2012 Spring is in the Air Show, Gallery B, Lexington, Kentucky, April 12, 2012 thru June 2, 2012 Awarded Residency in the Breckenridge Arts District, Breckenridge, Colorado. June, 2012 ‘Go Figure’ Show, Gallery B, Lexington, Kentucky, June, 2012 thru July 21, 2012 22nd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show 2012, Abend Gallery Fine Art, Denver, Colorado All Kentucky Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2013, Honorable Mention, Bowling Green, Kentucky 23rd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show 2013, Abend Gallery Fine Art, Denver, Colorado Solo Show, Campbellsville University, Campbellsville, Kentucky 2014 7th Annual Artworks, Inc. Members Only Exhibition, Best of Show & Merit Award, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2014

Six Week Exhibition, Health & Wellness Center, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2015 Solo Abstract Exhibition at SKyPAC (Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center), Main Gallery, Bowling Green, Kentucky, December 2015 thru January 2016 23rd Jack Lunt Memorial Exhibition, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2015 U.S. Bank Celebration of the Arts Exhibition, WKU, 2016, Bowling Green, Kentucky COLLECTIONS Bill’s work can be found in Private Collections in the United States and Europe, as well as Corporate Collections in the U.S. and Great Britain. The Google Corporation has purchased multiple large format paintings for their United States and London offices. AWARDS 2nd Place Award, U.S. Bank Celebration of the Arts Exhibition, WKU, 2016, Bowling Green, Kentucky

All Kentucky Juried Fine Art Exhibition 2014, WKU Kentucky Museum, Bowling Green, Kentucky

1st Place Award, 8th Annual Artworks, Inc. Members Only Exhibition, Bowling Green, Kentucky, May, 2015

24th Annual Holiday Miniatures Show 2014, Abend Gallery Fine Art, Denver, Colorado

Best of Show, 7th Annual Artworks, Inc. Members Only Exhibition, Bowling Green, Kentucky, May, 2014

Presbyterian Church Exhibition 2014, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Merit Award, 7th Annual Artworks, Inc. Members Only Exhibition, Bowling Green, Kentucky, May, 2014

U.S. Bank Celebration of the Arts Exhibition, WKU, 2015, Bowling Green, Kentucky 8th Annual Artworks, Inc. Members Only Exhibition, 1st Place Award, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2015

Honorable Mention, 2013 All Kentucky Juried Exhibition, Bowling Green, Kentucky, November, 2013 3rd Place, $500 Merit Award, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art Plein Air Paint Out, Owensboro, Kentucky, June, 2012

Series

ABSTRACT LANDSCAPE SERIES

Bill Guffey