George Mattingly

My name is George Mattingly, and I haven't always been an artist; I have only been serious about it for around five years. During my childhood and teen years, I was addicted to art and loved to sketch, draw comic book characters, and paint. When I sold my first painting to my fifth grade art teacher, she told my parents that "I had a gift from God." 

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In my teens, I put art aside and became addicted to drugs and alcohol. At 23 years old and on death's doorstep, I got clean through the AA program on Cape Cod. I learned the trade of carpentry and went on to have a successful design/build construction company, which kept art in my life because of construction drawings, but I didn't paint...for over 40 years!  When Christmas 2017 found me divorced, and disabled from my trade with no outlet for creativity, I picked up a paintbrush.

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A new journey began. My career in building and design honed me to have discipline and patience; I started with the very basics (and didn't even know blue and yellow made green until 2018!) and have advanced to studies of light, values, and composition. Everything I learn opens limitless possibilities for exploration of the world through my art.

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I'm drawn to the natural world; landscapes, seascapes, and places that just catch my eye have mainly been the focus of my paintings to date, and I take classes to develop my "gift."  This way of life--learn and paint, paint and learn--reveals that there is still more to explore, including different techniques, styles and subjects. I look forward to the opportunities to use my still emerging ability to capture those special scenes, places and moments on the canvas. 

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                                                                     Enjoy the art!

                                                                       Sincerely,

                                                                        George

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