We recently spotted this painting while scrolling through facebook, and just had to share it. A beautiful, bright angel painted by our friend North Georgia Artist Billy Roper. From the biography on his website -
"In describing himself, Appalachian folk artist Billy Roper says, 'I was born blessedly poor. We lived back in the hills where
life was 50 years behind times. We didn't have much growing up, but
what we had was more –– an honest, hardworking family.'
It's those years of weathering hardships
throughout his life that have made him the artist he is today and that
is reflected in his work. Art has always been a part of his life with
his skills ranging from painting and drawing to sculpting marble and
carving wood. Roper recalls, "There isn't a time I can remember when I
didn't want to mark on something. I was the worst write-on-the-walls
young'un that ever lived."
His work has emotional depth and speaks to people
about the simple things in life –– the things that matter the most. The
native of north Georgia is most known for his expressive style of
painting that combines colorful imagery on the front with handwriting on
the back to tell a story or depict an emotion.
Billy Roper is simply Billy. He remembers his
Appalachian roots, his Cherokee ancestors and their culture. Of them he
says, "I was taught who I was and where I came from for countless
generations. That does not make me better than or worse than, but it
does make me – me."
Music has always been a strong part of Billy's
life and that passion is shown in the nine months he spent painting a
bass fiddle that was raffled off in April 2011 at the Bear on the Square Mountain Festival in Dahlonega, Ga. The project raised money to benefit
the Georgia Pick & Bow Music School, an instructional music program
that helps to ensure that Appalachian music is passed down to the next
generation.
His work can be found in art collections
throughout the United States and more than 30 countries. He was North Georgia College & State University's first artist-in-residence in
2007 and the book, "Billy Roper: Visual Storyteller," was the first work
published by the University Press of North Georgia."
