The West Plains Council on the Arts and Ozarks Small Business Incubator have partnered to bring quarterly art displays to the incubator. The upcoming quarterly display will feature local artist Garrett Melby’s works from July 1 through September in OzSBI’s first-floor gallery.
Visitors may view the display at the incubator during OzSBI’s business hours, anytime between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
“Garrett Melby uses bold brush strokes combined with saturate color to create exciting paintings of wildlife that are larger than life,” describes Arts council Coordinator Janey Hale.
Melby graduated in 1998 from Willow Springs High School and had success in school in art-related events, according to promoters. His art was displayed in Willow Springs downtown and in the school art show.
He graduated from Collins College in Phoenix, Ariz., with a degree in animation. While in Arizona, his art and animation was displayed in downtown Phoenix art galleries, first Fridays art walks and in the Arizona cities of Tempe and Mesa.
Currently Melby’s artwork is on display at Wages Brewing Company and the Yellow House Community Arts Center in West Plains, and at Springfield Brewing Company’s Cellar music venue.
Melby paints live with many area bands and musicians, including Molly Healey of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and her band, the Molly Healey String project; Dylan Kane; The Kursk; Brandon Moore; Patient Eyes; and Eureka Strings.
Melby has held art shows and benefit auctions at The Queen City Shout, Q Enoteca Wine Bar and Springfield Brewing Company’s Cellar, all in Springfield, as well as Wages Brewing Company and The Yellow House locally. At these art auctions He has helped raise money for many local charities close to his heart, including a joint fundraiser for Ozarks Regional Cats and West Plains Regional Animal Shelter, and benefits for the Bridges Program of West Plains Schools, Rescue and Defend, the West Plains Optimist Club, Queen City Shout Poverty Relief and Play it Forward.
“My mission statement is simply, you can't move forward if you don't give back," he said. "I paint live with bands and do a lot of cool things on a canvas, but the real art is finding a way to help someone with your art and that's what I'm striving to do.”
A meet-the-artist event will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. July 28 in OzSBI’s lobby at 408 Washington Ave. in West Plains. The public is invited to attend, meet Melby and view and discuss the pieces on display.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Madison Sutterfield at OzSBI by emailing madisonsutterfield@ozsbi.com, or reach out to Hale at jhale2129@gmail.com.
