VINCENT GEORGE

Vincent George grew up in Newburgh, New York. Deriving inspiration from his artist father and uncle, and the rolling hills of his northern home, Vincent was destined for greatness from the very beginning.

Vincent’s initial works offer evidence of his early dedication to the craft: Using brown paper bags he retrieved from the grocery store, the adolescent artist fashioned mock-canvases. Though wrinkled, the blank sheets provided the perfect surface for charcoal, Vincent’s childhood medium of choice. Vincent spent hours and hours using these unlikely tools, implements that would shape the seasoned artist he would later become.

Vincent’s youth was largely spent hiking in the summers and skiing in the winters. He often brought a sketchbook on his hikes, and it wasn’t long before sketching began to take precedence over the outdoor activity itself. At the age of 14, he began using paint to embellish the rough sketches he brought back from hiking. While Vincent was an average teenager involved in football, basketball and baseball throughout high school, he likely surpassed his peers in terms of deciding on a career path. By 17, creating works of art became Vincent’s top priority. It was during this time period that he was able to scrounge up a few art-related projects, including the occasional mural and private portrait commission.

Vincent was accepted to the Savannah College of Art & Design, but after a year decided the environment at The Pratt Institute was more suitable. There, he studied Illustration and Communications Design. Vincent found himself immediately swept up by his surroundings, exhilarated by the uniqueness of the Brooklyn, New York campus’s landscape. Even so, his preference for quiet rural places was only reinforced by the experience.

After receiving his Bachelors from The Pratt Institute, Vincent accepted a job near his hometown of Newburgh as an illustrator and industrial designer, the latter of which was a selection no doubt influenced by Vincent’s uncle, who fulfills such a position – designing medical equipment, power tools, automotive interiors and more – to this day. Throughout these years, Vincent occasionally used a studio space he created in his home. Unfortunately, much of his time was occupied by odd jobs he took on to pay the bills. He dreamed of painting full-time, but that didn’t become a reality until two years later.

Eager to return to greener pastures, away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, Vincent relocated to Georgia. It was in the Peach State that Vincent’s desire to create was reinvigorated. Being reunited with nature and its many vibrant elements again played a large role in Vincent’s renewed vision. But Vincent also cites meeting his girlfriend for the first time as a catalyst for many of the positive changes in his life. He says, "Meeting her is when the best part of my life began." Michelle’s encouragement helped Vincent step outside the belief that he had to have a full-time, salaried job in order to be happy and successful.

Vincent continues to fine-tune his painting style. The Evergreen series has a special place in his heart, since every painting is infused with bits and pieces of his upbringing in the lush landscape of New York.

No matter where he lived or what he was doing at the time, Vincent says he has always come back to visual art in the end. For Vincent, transferring the gorgeous scenes in his head onto canvas isn't merely a means to make a living. It is an extension of himself; a necessary and delicate process he ultimately could not survive without.