GuyCobb.com

If you would like information related to images of my work for publication, please contact Artists Rights Society in New York at (212)-420-9160. ARS represents the image rights for artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder, Georgia O'Keefe, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Mark Rothko, Willem De Kooning, Frank Stella, and Wassily Kandinsky. Click here to visit the ARS website: ARS website

Braille Paintings
My Braille paintings were inspired by an idea I had to create a series of works that were painted specifically for the blind. By incorporating heavily textured acrylic surfaces and wooden objects such as oversized Grade 1 Braille dots, the result has been a collection of paintings that can be interpreted by both the blind (using touch) and the sighted (using both touch and sight). To eliminate any confusion by sighted viewers, I elected not to incorporate the Braille capitalization symbol (this is why some titles like 'tennessee' and 'america' are lower case). To see how Braille is correctly formatted click here


	Tennessee State Museum, Nashville		In the studio		Memphis Council of the Blind		Mississippi Museum of Art Education Collection
	'Braille Painting No.8, 'tennessee'		painting 'tulips'		Braille Painting No.7, 'tulips'		Braille Painting No.6, 'sunflowers'"

Mississippi School for the Blind
The mission of the Mississippi School for the Blind (MSB) is to promote the development of each student's maximum potential by providing specialized services, materials, and technology. MSB's staff is dedicated to curricula which meet the individual needs of students. Residential and instructional programs and services which comply with state, regional, and national accreditation standards are provided. The school serves as an educational resource for visually impaired and blind residents of Mississippi from birth through 20 years of age.


	Braille Painting No.10, 'america'		in the studio		in the studio

Children's Museum of Memphis
This collection of Braille paintings is installed at the Children's Musem of Memphis. Children are fascinated by the Braille language. These paintings were created to serve visitors to the Children's Museum on many levels. Primarily, because of the heavily textured surfaces of my paintings, I wanted both blind and sighted children to be able to experience and interpret my paintings by touch. For sighted children, the 'alphabet' painting allows them to decipher the remaining Braille paintings in the collection.


	Braille Painting No.1, 'willow'		Braille Painting No.3, 'alphabet'		Braille Painting No.5, 'rain'		"Art Beyond Sight"

National Center on Age-Related Vision Loss, Dallas, Texas
The greatest challenge facing older Americans who are losing their vision is the lack of awareness of the many resources available that can empower them to continue living independent, productive lives. The National Center on Age-Related Vision Loss in Dallas will enable AFB to significantly expand upon its already successful work in the area of aging and vision loss. The Center will include both on-site and "virtual" components to maximize access to information and resources by people throughout the country.


	Braille Painting No.2, 'america'		'america' close-up			In 2004 I donated this painting to the American Foundation for the Blind's new National Center on Age-Related Vision Loss in Dallas. This painting was dedicated to my father-in-law who suffers from detached retinas and cateracts. Click images to see larger pictures.

Tennessee State Capitol, Phil Bredesen, Governor
This collection of paintings can be seen at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. "Tennessee Irises" is on display in the Legal and Legislative Office, "Willow at Memphis" is in the Advance Planning Office and "Sunflowers at Shelby Farms" is at the Office of Constituent Services.


	"Willow at Memphis"		"Tennessee Irises No.2"		"Sunflowers at Shelby Farms"		Jack receiving his pardon from Governor Bredesen

Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Mississippi



	"Sunflower River Blues"		"Tennessee Irises for Etheridge Knight"		"Wild Tulips"		"My dad painted this!"

Focus on "Tennessee Irises for Etheridge Knight"


	Etheridge Knight		When I returned to college to study poetry in the late 1980's, the poet who's life and work I admired most during my studies was the late Mississippian, Etheridge Knight. The following is a biographical excerpt from "The Essential Etheridge Knight" from Pittsburg Press: 'Born in rural Mississippi in 1931, Mr. Knight received little formal education. He served as an army-trained medic during the Korean War and was badly wounded. "I died in Korea from a shrapnel wound," he wrote, "and narcotics resurrected me. I died in 1960 from a prison sentence and poetry brought me back to life." Since his first book, Poems from Prison, appeared in 1968, Knight's poetry has been widely acclaimed. He was awarded fellowships by the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1985 received the Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America in recognition of distinguished achievement in poetry. Etheridge Knight died on March 10, 1991, at his home in Indianapolis, Indiana.

National Ornamental Metals Museum


	Side View		"Dark Side of the Sun"		I was both honored and thrilled to donate my thorn painting, "Dark Side of the Sun", to the NOMM's permanent collection. The National Ornamental Metal Museum is located in the old Fort Pickering complex, high on a spectacular bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in South Memphis. The Museum has a working "Smithy" or foundry where you can see resident metalsmiths creating their masterworks. You can see all of my thorn paintings in the section "Thorn Paintings" below.

Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield Collection
One of the truest indicators as to the state of our humanity is the daily treatment of our mentally ill. Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) in Whitfield maintains the largest mental health treatment facility in the nation, including an inspiring art-therapy program. On the first Thursday of each September, MSH hosts "Serendipity", an art show and silent auction of original artwork created by patients. This event includes more than 300 original works of art. Proceeds benefit the individual artists.


	"Wisteria and Trumpet Vine"		"Tennessee Irises" (Garden at Memphis)		"Sailboats at Shelby Farms"		Tennessee Sunflowers

Memphis Veterans Administration Hospital



	"Tennessee Irises for Our American Veterans"		VA Hospital Installation		A year after donating this work to the VA Hospital's South Memphis Facility, I was humbled to return to the hospital and see the painting installed in a room where our combat veterans from Iraq gather for group sessions. This is a photo of myself with facility Director Sheila Simpson.

Western Mental Health Institute, Bolivar, Tennessee
When I delivered this collection of paintings to the Western campus, I asked the staff if there was anything in particular they needed that I could advertise on my website. They said what they needed most are men's clothing. If you have any men's clothing you would like to donate, you can click the website link above for Western's address.


	"Willow at Memphis"		"Tennessee Irises No.3"		"Wildflowers at Shelby Farms"		"Western's Campus"

Memphis Union Mission
Founded in 1945, Memphis Union Mission ministers to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of hurting, homeless Memphians. I have been donating my paintings to the Union Mission over the last few years, including one of three "Lost Rainbow" paintings which were transitional works I painted in 1991 and '92. The Lost Rainbow series marked the end of my Thorn Paintings series. To learn more about the Union Mission click on the website link above.


	"The Lost Rainbow No.3"		"Wild Tulips No.2"		"Tennessee Irises No.4"

Memphis Mental Health Institute Collection


	"Sunflowers at Shelby Farms"		"Sunflowers at Shelby Farms"		"Sunflowers at Shelby Farms"		The Sunflower Fields at Memphis

Shelby Farms Visitors Center Collection


	"Willow at Shelby Farms"		"Sailboats at Shelby Farms"		"Independence Day at Shelby Farms"		"Willow at Memphis"

The Thorn Paintings (1989-1992)
These "Thorn Paintings" were my first series of works I created while living in Southwest Missouri. These paintings were an attempt to understand and document the rural violence that was occurring in the Heartland at the time. Much of the violence was attributed to drug deals gone bad, but on one occassion, in the neighboring town of Elkland, Missouri, James Schnick murdered seven of his family in one afternoon.


	"The Intricacies of Madness"		"Isolation in Summer Silence"		"Grief Beneath the Hardness of Rain"


	"Down in the Valley of Rural Violence"		"Dark Side of the Sun"

The Lost Rainbows
I painted this series of Lost Rainbow paintings immediately following my thorn paintings. In "Lost Rainbow No.1" I abstracted the physical thorns from the thorn paintings into oversized flat black swaths. In "Lost Rainbow No.2" I further buried the thorns into the painting. In "Lost Rainbow No.3" the thorns are lost completely in a chaos of color.


	"Lost Rainbow No.1"		"Lost Rainbow No.2"		"The Lost Rainbow No.3"

Museum Collections (paintings):

Birzeit University Art Museum, Birzeit, Palestine BZU Website

Childrens Museum of Memphis CMOM Website

Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Mississippi Delta Blues Museum Website

Dixon Gallery & Gardens Education Collection Dixon Gallery & Gardens Website

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Education Collection Brooks Website

Mississippi Museum of Art Education Collection Mississippi Museum of Art Website

National Ornamental Metal Museum National Ornamental Metals Museum

The Renaissance Center, Dickson, Tennessee Renaissance Center Website

Tennessee State Museum, Nashville State Museum Website

Selected Public & Private Collections (paintings):

Agricenter International Agricenter Website

American Foundation for the Blind AFB's Website

Artist Rights Society, New York ARS's Website

Christian Brothers University, Memphis CBU Website

Memphis Council of the Blind

Memphis Veterans Administration Hospital Memphis VA Website

Memphis Mental Health Institute MMHI Website

Memphis Symphony Orchestra Symphony Website

Memphis Arts Council Arts Council Website

Memphis Union Mission Union Mission Website

Memphis Downtown YMCA Memphis YMCA Website

Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield Mississippi State Hospital Website

Mississippi School for The Blind Mississippi School for the Blind Website

National Center on Age-Related Vision Loss, Dallas NCA-RVL Website

Shelby Farms Visitors Center Shelby Farms Website

St. Louis Mayor's Collection, St. Louis City Hall Mayor's Website

Tennessee Arts Commission, Nashville TAC Website

Tennessee School for The Blind, Nashville TSB Website

Tennessee State Capitol, Governor's Collection Governor's Website

Western Mental Health Institute, Bolivar, Tennessee WTMHI Website

All Images © 2002-2007 Guy Cobb / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Return to Home Page