Arthur Price is an artist, gardener and visionary who has imaginatively painted since he was a child. An Alabama native, Price studies myths, fables and legends of many cultures past and present. After studying at the Atlanta College of Art, he and his wife, fellow artist and gardener Caren, moved to a farm near the Cahaba River in Shelby County, Alabama, where they grow organic vegetables and herbs and care for their horses and rescued dogs and cats.
Arthur’s work reminds the viewer of the harmony, peaceful balance and rejuvenation offered by nature. His work manifests in the form of large, un-stretched canvases stained with chimerical veils of muted, monochromatic washes that combine before the eyes into ethereal beings, emerging from and merging with shadows. They give a momentary glimpse into a timeless dimension of our world where benevolent spirits are at work and play. |
Arthur paints in a small studio imbued by nature, where birds nest in the rafters. When the studio is not large enough for the size of the canvas on which he loves to work, he moves outside to the trees and hangs the canvas from branches using a pulley system of his own invention. Arthur spends his days in faded overalls, transforming canvas into mystical wonderlands, influenced by the surrounding woods.
Arthur’s artistic motivation is in the “honoring of imagination through the personification of nature. My pieces have serious and fantastical images of people, animals and spirits that are submerged into nature. They are things that people will immediately recognize. They are interesting yet unusual combinations, from floating spirits to ancient ceremonies to sea turtles gathered on a beach. They tend to combine in dreamlike ways.” |
| Price’s work has captivated public attention since his days in art school. His paintings have appeared in numerous shows in Birmingham, Atlanta, New Orleans, and New York. One exciting show was his installation of 37 very large-scale paintings at the newly renovated Virginia Samford Theater in 2002. Many of the paintings moved on rails accompanied by music selected to heighten their expressive power. The audience was encouraged to enter the stage and move among these unfolding presences. James R. Nelson, the visual art critic of The Birmingham News, wrote of this instillation:”The Virginia Samford Theater....has been transformed into a gallery of unprecedented beauty by the enchanting paintings of Arthur Price. This presentation evolves into a remarkable and memorable presentation of art works that will be talked about for years to come. Entering the auditorium is like walking into a secular cathedral. Breathtaking and inspiring....” (9/18/2002) |
Arthur’s works are amongst many private and public collections. The public collections include: Alabama Power, Baptist Montclair Hospital, Mountain Brook Club, Stillwater Country Club, and Cantina and GianMarco’s Restaurants. |
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