St. George

St. George

Collecting college degrees, writing poetry, editing prose, George Spencer was at home in the world of words when he took an interest in his daughter’s art studies. He set out on a quest to discover his own artistic abilities, reading art texts and experimenting with techniques. He gave his artistic identity the name St George.

As an artist, St George works at a feverish pace producing a huge volume of fantastic art. His work appears to have been made in waves of widely varied themes. There are up-close-and-personal portraits of wild animals, and larger-than-life portraits of high heel shoes. A group of paintings relates historical and biographical stories, no less amusing or poignant by being totally fictional. But to St George, the subject matter is not as important as the process of creation. Each piece represents a moment in his personal artistic evolution.

Recently St George has been just allowing his art to happen, rather than deliberately making it. Working intuitively, he covers wood panels with multicolored layers of paint and walks away. In time, the painted boards seem to suggest their subjects to him. The ideas could come from news reports, the pages of open magazines, or his own face in the mirror. He doesn’t actively choose the subject; it seems to choose him. The image is then painted on top of the layers, or it is scratched into the surface revealing the layers below. Finishing touches are added with a sense of humor reflecting the artist’s fondness for wordplay and cross-cultural reference. The final act of assigning a title to the work may not happen for quite a while.

Over the course of his self-taught journey, George Spencer has gradually grown comfortable being called an artist. Looking at the paintings by St George, we are certain the description is correct.

Shop and buy art directly from St George on his Etsy site: StGeorgeStudioArt.