About Artist George Boutwell

General Background

Born in East Hartford, Connecticut, in 1943. After his Mothers untimely death in 1945, he and his father traveled around the country and by the time he started the First Grade in San Antonio, Texas, they had lived in Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New York, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, California and Texas. George spent most of his life in Austin and moved to Bosque County in 1987 where he and his wife Martha live on a ranch near Clifton, in a 1904 Victorian home known as Highview, which is set on the crest of a hill overlooking the Bosque River Valley. The Boutwell's have two daughters: Valerie 49, and Kimberlee 47, two grandsons: Josh 19 and Brady 16 and one Granddaughter, Kaylee 13. Hobbies and interests include Historic Preservation, Old Cars, fossil hunting and observation of wildlife and Longhorn Cattle.

George was Art Director for Texas Highways Magazine from 1966 to 1972 and became aware of the diversity of Texas during that time and this awareness has become the focus of his life's work. George has refused to specialize in one Genre of Art and only limits the scope of his work to Texas. He has been able to make his living exclusively from his Art for 40 Years!

The Boutwell's former home in Austin won a 1983 Austin Heritage Society Award which was presented at the Governor’s Mansion. George was an appointed member of the Austin Historic Landmark Commission from 1982 to 1985.

Professional Background

Art Training:

Self-taught. George was too poor to afford Art Lessons and due to his failing half a year of High School because he was sitting in class drawing cars instead of studying his grades were not sufficient to enter College. He read every Art book he could find in the Public Library and practiced continually, doing 100 sketches per day for one year! When he was finally able to afford Art Lessons it was because he had become a full time Professional Commercial Artist and had some disposable income for the first time in his life. George took a correspondence course in Fine Art from the Famous Artist School which helped him make the transition from Commercial to Fine Art in 1973.

Professional Positions:

Taylor Mfg. Co.- Technical Illustrator- 3 years

Texas Highway Dept. - Art Director of Texas Highways Magazine - 6 years.

Whitley Printing Co. - Art Director - 2 years.

Media Communications Advertising Agency - Art Director - 1 year.

Advertising, Design and Illustration Accounts included Drive Friendly, Governor’s Office of Traffic Safety- Texas Society of Architects- Texas - Handle with Care - Resort Developments; Lakeway Horseshoe Bay - World of Resorts - Woodcreek - Point Venture. Financial Institutions - City Bank, Lumbermen’s Investment Corp.

Became full-time fine artist in 1973.

Fine Arts Accomplishments

Special Recognition:

Given the title of "Official Texas State Artist" for 2006 by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas State Legislature.

Juried Exhibits and Shows:

Laguna Gloria Fiesta, Austin, Texas - Brazos River Festival, Waco, Texas - Kaleidoscope, Beaumont, Texas -Septemberfest, Midland, Texas - Kermezaar, El Paso, Texas - Fiesta Del Arte, Odessa, Texas -Texas State Arts & Crafts Fair, Kerrville, Texas - Stamford Art Foundation, Stamford, Texas - Texas Art Classic, Ft. Worth, Texas - Western Heritage Show, Littleton, Colorado - Festival in The Village, Lake Buena Vista, Florida - Gold Coast Art Fair, Chicago, Illinois - Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City, Missouri - 500 Artfest, Dallas, Texas - American Canadian Classic, Billings, Montana - Cowtown Invitational Art Show and Sale, Ft, Worth, Texas - Coconut Grove Art Festival, Miami, Florida - Westheimer Art Festival, Houston, Texas - Lubbock Art Festival, Lubbock, Texas - Lennox Square Invitational Art Show, Atlanta, Georgia - Buffalo Bill Memorial Art Show, Cody, Wyoming - Lafayette Art Fiesta, Lafayette, Louisiana - Country Osage Art Show, Pawhuska, Oklahoma - American Watercolor Invitational, Tucson, Arizona - Rotary Club Art Annual, Amarillo, Texas - Special Session Invitational, Austin, Texas, Salado Art Fair, Salado, Texas - Jubilee of the Arts - Amarillo, Texas - Where the South Meets the West - Gainesville, Texas, Main Street Festival-Ft. Worth, Texas - Rio Fest-Harlingen, Texas.

One Man Shows:

Stagecoach Gallery, Austin, Texas - Victoria Art Museum, Victoria, Texas - First National Bank, Cleburne, Texas - Interfirst Post Oak Bank, Houston, Texas - Old Chisholm Trail Gallery, San Marcos, Texas - Frames & Expressions Gallery, Round Rock, Texas - Millrace Gallery, Salina, Kansas - Strawberry Bread Gallery, Rangely, Maine - McLaughlin’s Gallery, Corpus Christi, Texas - Highland Mall Gallery, Austin, Texas - Citizen’s National Bank, Greenville, Texas - Interfirst Bank, Mount Pleasant, Texas - Studio One Gallery, Longview, Texas - Citizen’s National Bank, Austin, Texas - Republic Bank, Austin, Texas - Citizen’s Federal Credit Union, Big Spring, Texas - University City Club, Lubbock, Texas - Highland Lakes National Bank, Kingsland, Texas - First Kleburg National Bank, Kingsville, Texas - Bank of South Texas, Alice, Texas - Southmost Savings, Brownsville, Texas - Warehouse Living Arts Center, Corsicana, Texas - First City Bank, McAllen, Texas - Thomas Johnson Interiors, Bryan, Texas - Riverbend Gallery, College Station, Texas - Shiloh Gallery, College Station, Texas Burson Gallery - Hillsboro, Texas - Texas State Bank, McAllen, Texas - Metro Center, Lubbock, Texas - Bosque County Conservatory of Fine Art - Clifton, Texas -Dr Pepper Museum - Waco, Texas.-Golden Triangle Mall, Denton, TX-Post Oak Mall, College Station, TX-Mall of Abilene, Abilene, TX - Sunset Mall, San Angelo, TX - Midland Park Mall, Midland, TX - Richland Mall, Waco, TX - Temple Mall, Temple, TX - Killeen Mall, Killeen, Texas- Brazos Mall, Lake Jackson, Texas. - Northeast Mall, Hurst, Texas. - Westgate Mall, Amarillo, Texas. - Collin Creek Mall, Plano, Texas - Midway Mall, Sherman, TX -Parkdale Mall, Beaumont, Texas Sikes Senter, Wichita Falls, Tx.- Music City Mall, Odessa, TX - Victoria Mall, Victoria, TX - Richardson Square Mall, Richardson, TX - Heartland Mall, Brownwood, TX.

Awards:

Best of Show: Cowtown Invitational, Ft. Worth, Texas, 1983 - South Oklahoma City Art Association Spring Show, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1983 - Champions Village Festival, Houston, Texas - Texas Wild Bunch Annual Jail Break, Grandbury, Texas - Special Session, Austin, Texas , 1984 Waco Invitational, Waco, Texas 1988. Alleyfest, Longview, TX 1999. Seafair, Rockport, Texas 2006

First Place Watercolor: October Affair, Kermit, Texas - Art Fiesta of Lafayette, Louisiana ( two times) - Top of Texas Art Festival, Pampa, Texas - (two times) - Last Chance Festival, Austin, Texas (three times) - Pecan Street Festival, Austin, Texas - Art Festival, Guymon, Oklahoma - Where The South Meets the West, Gainesville, Texas - Rio Fest - Harlingen, Texas.. Alleyfest, Longview, TX 1998. - 2006 & 2007 Pharr Spring Classic, Pharr, Texas

Second Place Watercolor: Buffalo Bill Memorial Art Show, Cody, Wyoming - Art Fiesta, Lafayette, Louisiana - South Oklahoma City Art Association - Laredo Art Fiesta, Laredo, Texas. 2005 Pharr Spring Classic - Pharr, Texas - Water Street Market Music & Art Fair, Corpus Christi, Tx.

Third Place Watercolor: Western Heritage Show, Littleton, Colorado - Festival in the Village, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Purchase Awards: El Reno, Oklahoma - October Affair, Kermit, Texas - Westheimer Art Festival, Houston, Texas - Big Spring Art Festival, Big Spring, Texas - Salado Art Fair, Salado, Texas.

Feature Articles & Publications:

Texas Highways Magazine, 10/79 and 11/89 - Prints Magazine, Summer, 1979 - Art Voices South 10-11/79 - Southwest Art, 4/77 - North Light, 5-6/77 - Southwestern Art, Fall, 1976 - Alcalde Magazine - Austin Magazine - Cover of Science Magazine, 1/82 - Featured in current book, Contemporary Western Artists - Cover, Sunshine Artist U.S.A. - Covers of several West Texas Telephone Directories, 1981-82 - Art Gallery Magazine, December, 1983 - Austin Magazine, December, 1983 - Prints Magazine, March, 1984 - Art Marketing Letter, April, 1984, & March 1987. Two covers, Texas Veterinary Medical Journal, Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine - Feb. 1985, Cover Southwest Veterinarian Magazine, May, 1987, five Covers University of Texas Law School Seminar Brochures - Official Poster - Artist Harvest 1995 Austin, Texas. 7 Covers plus Feature story in December 2001, Old Cars Weekly Magazine, Featuted in Book "The Painted Hills" about the Artists of Bosque County, Texas published in 2009.

Commissions:

George no longer accepts commissions however the following are commissions taken previously: Dr Pepper Co., four paintings - Whitley Printing Co., Landmark Series, ten drawings - Highland Lakes National Bank, ten Central Texas Landmarks - Franklin Savings Association, Austin Texas - Tips & Radke Houses - Texas Ex Students Association: Foundation for Excellence - Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Austin - Central Texas Catholic Diocese - Old Pecan Street Association, Austin, Official Poster, Spring Arts Festival - Texas Historical Foundation, 1 of 3 artists selected to paint an original to be used in fund raiser prints - Austin Chamber of Commerce - Project Greenscape Poster, University of Texas College of Business Administration Foundation, Northwest Reflections Print, University of Texas Ex Students Assn. Painting of Tower, Sports Moments Inc. Painting of Hank Aaron’s 715th, Home Run, presented to Hank Aaron and hanging in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Gulf Coast Conservation Assn. Brazoria Chapter, A Look Below The Surface fund-raiser print - Old Depot Fundraiser - Hidalgo County Historical Museum - Edinburg, Texas - Drugstore Cowboys Painting - Texas Pharmacy Foundation. Salado Art Fair 2006 Official Poster Artist.