Bob McGill is a native Californian who has lived in Tennessee since 1983. He makes his home high on a bluff overlooking Chattanooga, just a few miles north of the city, in the community of Signal Mountain.

 

Bob always enjoyed drawing and painting as a child, but because a high school art teacher discouraged him in the late 60s, he abandoned art. It was not until 1995 after much encouragement from family and friends that he started painting again.

 

The most common tool used to create his paintings is a common safety razor. He uses brushes sparingly, and more frequently than not, it is the wooden handle end that leaves its mark on his works. The majority of his pieces are displayed in frames that are as much a piece of the artwork as the painting itself. Usually, the frames are hand painted to complement the painting they are displaying. Bob often uses discarded items to make his paintings, such as lumber from home remodeling projects or discarded cabinet doors. All wood is untreated. The grain of the wood, the flaws and knots, and any other imperfection in the wood is often visible through the paint.

 

Numerous pieces of Bob’s works have been requested by local and national agencies for presentation in fund raising events, including the American Cancer Society, The W. O. Smith School, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, The American Heart Association, Kings Daughters Day Home, Chairish the Future (Furniture Bank of Atlanta), Retune Nashville, Boys and Girls Club of Nashville (Christmas Cards), and the American Parkinson Disease Association. Several of his works have been used in television commercials. His pieces have also been used on posters, on billboards to advertise events in the southeast, on tee shirts, and there is a piece hanging in the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida. He has attended numerous regional outsider art shows, including “Where the Art Meets the Soul” Folk Art Festival at the Orlando House of Blues and Finster Fest held in Summerville, Georgia.

 

The reason Bob paints is simple: “ When I wake up in the morning I like to look around and see things that make me smile. In today’s world there is so much stress. People are rushing here and there, never taking the time to stop and really look at things. Many people seem to be so busy that they forget to enjoy life. I paint with bright, bold, happy colors that I hope make people stop and take notice. There is nothing more satisfying then having someone stop, look at one of my paintings, and break out in a big smile. That is what life is all about...being happy.”

 

One other artist who provided great inspiration to Bob was Walter Bunn Gray (1935-2002). During his life, Bunn provided guidance to many beginning artists, including Bob. Bunn liked to say that he couldn’t teach a person how to paint, but he could provide guidance and direction to someone who had the determination and didn‘t know where to take it. Bunn provided Bob the direction he needed.

  

WHY DO I PAINT WITH RAZOR BLADES ?

(the long version)

 

In the mid 90’s, I was trying to develop a unique painting style. I knew of an established artist in Franklin, Tennessee, who gave individual lessons. His name was Walter Bunn Gray. I contacted Bunn to showed him an example of one of a painting I had completed that possessed the elements I wanted to be present in my art. Up to this point, my paintings lacked any consistency in representing the style I wanted. Bunn looked at the example I showed him and said, “Maybe you need to teach this to me, because it is not like anything I have ever painted.” He agreed to work with me and try to develop a style that I could call my own.

 

I took lessons from Bunn for about 6 months, but it was apparent to me that my style was developing more like his style than mine. I pointed this out to Bunn, and he immediately changed his approach during the lessons. We would try anything different to make my paintings have the unique look I was looking for. One day Bunn was helping me with a tall narrow piece. When I finished the piece and stood back an looked at it, I noticed that one of the lines that started at the top of the painting and ran all the way to the bottom was not straight. Looking at my paintings now, you would never believe this was a problem, since I now have a hard time working with straight lines. Anyway, this non-conforming line had me pretty upset, and Bunn (who was drunk by this time in the lesson, something that always happened when I was there … I guess I drove him a little crazy) picked up five razor blades and handed them to me. He said, “Take these home and work with them. Fix your line!!!!”

 

On my way home, I thought how crazy he was to think I could paint with razor blades, but I was determined to do it, since Bunn told me to. For the next two weeks, I sat at home and practiced painting with these 5 razor blades. Bunn had broken the edges on them so I had five different lengths of blades for different amounts of coverage. When I went back for my next lesson, I sat down and started painting as usual, but now I was using razor blades as well as brushes.

 

After a few months, I realized that I seldom used brushes any more. One day, another artist entered the studio. He noticed how close my hand was to the piece I was working on, and assumed that I was cleaning up a mistake and asked about it. “Cleaning up a mistake?“ he said. I replied, “I didn’t make a mistake, I’m painting.” He asked if I had ever heard of brushes or a pallet knife. Bunn was sitting next to me and began laughing as said, “I told him to straighten a crocked line with a razor blade several months ago, and he hasn’t put down the blade since. I love everything he has done since that day, and I’ve actually stopped telling him what to do. He’s on his own.”

 

I’ve painted with razor blades ever since that time. I gesso my boards (I paint on wood) with a brush. I use the wooden handled end of brushes to scratch paint away from areas of my paintings. I only use the actual brush for tiny highlights in eyes. I use a pallet knife on large frames when applying a solid color. Other than those few exceptions, my paintings are completed using razor blades.

 

Bunn passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. He was in the hospital for relatively minor surgery and had a heart attack, which was totally unrelated to his operation. I will always be thankful for the guidance Bunn showed me, and especially for helping me to believe in my own ability.