Third time is a charm for Katy resident Mike Peyton

 

 

Artist Mike Peyton wins top award at Southwest Gourd Fine Art Show in Kerrville

Feathers on a Rainbow

 

HOUSTON – June 1, 2017 –Katy-based artist Mike Peyton’s unusual work transforming gourds into pieces of sculpture has been recognized by the National Society of Artists, the Visual Arts Alliance, the Art Center of Corpus Christi, the Lone Star Art Guild and Katy Area Artists.

He recently added to his tally by winning best in show at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center Southwest Gourd Fine Art Show. This was the third time he received this award in Kerrville, out of the seven years he has participated in the event.

Peyton transforms snake gourds – a long vegetable that twists like a serpent as it ripens – into a variety of sculptures, covering the surfaces with elaborate designs he creates freehand with acrylic paints and Sharpie markers.

His work can be labor intensive, which is exactly how Peyton likes it.

“Not everyone has the patience to do what I do, but I love it,” he said. “I’m doing exactly what I want to do. For me, the creative process is therapy.”

The award-winning sculpture from this year’s show is titled “Feathers of a Rainbow,” and the piece is a creature right out of Peyton’s imagination.

“It’s just one of those wild ideas that comes out of my head, just like all the other ones sitting in front of me at home waiting to be done,” he said. “This one simply happened to be at the front of the line.”

Peyton said he was surprised how many visitors to the Southwest Gourd Fine Art Show connected to the sculpture.

Mike Peyton

“People were really drawn to the piece,” he said. “It’s colorful and a bit mystical looking, with a big feather headdress. So many people were getting their picture taken with it, even before it won best in show. I was very happy, but I honestly had not expected it, not to that degree.”

With work that differs from the pieces one traditionally finds at gourd fine art shows, Peyton finds it gratifying to be singled out.

“It feels really good, especially since I consider myself to be something of an outsider, because of the style and size of my pieces,” he said.  “For the judges and everyone else to accept my work at face value is really nice.”

He keeps coming back each year for the people, not the accolades.

“I’m very different than most people at this sort of show,” he said. “I come in with all my earrings, tattoos and a big goatee, and you know what, right away they accepted me lock, stock and barrel. They’re sweet, open people. I like going to the show each year, because I get to see them.”

For more information about Mike Peyton and his art, visit www.mikepeytoncreations.com.