While all stories have an impact, some hold particular poignancy because of the artist’s struggle to get where they are.
Serenbe loves to share the stories of artists and creators because they believe that art in everyday life can create a greater understanding of the world (it’s why they created the Art Farm). While all stories have an impact, some hold particular poignancy because of the artist’s struggle to get where they are. This is why the Art Farm is especially excited to tell the story of their next artist in residence, George Anthony Morton.
While George remembers drawing as early as 8 years old, most of his childhood and adolescence is defined by his involvement with drugs and life in Kansas City, MO as the son and grandson of addicts. His mother, who had George at 15 years old and 10 more children in the 10 years after him, was in-and-out of jail, leaving him to be a co-parent to his younger siblings. George wound up selling drugs not only to strangers but to his own grandmother, operating his “business” out of their home.
When he was arrested at 19 years old, it should have meant a lifetime of “drugs, poorness and prison.” Instead, it transformed George’s life into that of a prominent and successful artist.
During the 11 years George was in prison, he painted murals on the walls and was even commissioned to do portraits of the executive staff. He was released to a halfway house in Atlanta, GA in 2013, determined to get to work. George found work in a gym in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood, and the portrait he did of the gym owner caught the eye of Keith Summerour.
Keith insisted George apply to the Florence Academy of Art (he was on the board), and George was accepted. George wasn’t allowed to travel because of his parole, but soon learned the Academy was opening their inaugural U.S. branch, giving him the opportunity to be one of their first students. The rest, as they say, is history.
Incidentally, Keith Summerour is also connected to Serenbe. He interned with famed landscape architect Ryan Gainey and helped to create the beautiful Gainey Garden at The Inn at Serenbe. Keith also designed one of Serenbe’s earlier homes.