Join SAAC’s friends and the Price family on Saturday, August 3, for a reception celebrating the work of George W. Price (1914-2007) from 6-7:30 p.m. Selected works by Mr. Price will be on display in the Merkle and Price Galleries August 3-26.

According to an artist’s statement written by Mr. Price in 1990, he was born in Little Rock and lived in Arkansas all his life except for the years he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He retired from Arkansas Power and Light in December 1979.

His only art training prior to his retirement was art and mechanical drawing when he was in high school. Early in 1980, he attended an oil workshop taught by Mrs. Ruth Denny at Southern Arkansas University. Afterwards, he began painting with the Monday Painters at SAAC, where he continued to work in oil. His watercolor experience began in the fall of 1984 at a watercolor workshop under the instruction of Judi Betts.

Mr. Price had one man exhibits in El Dorado, Hot Springs, Russellville, LIttle Rock, and Fort Smith, Arkansas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi. He won the top award in the Mid-Southern Watercolorists competition in 1988, and also won awards in the Mississippi Watercolor International Show (Jackson, Mississippi) and in the Southwestern Watercolor Show (Dallas, Texas). The painting in the Southwestern Watercolor Show was accepted as part of their annual tour.

He had paintings accepted in 1989 for the Louisiana Watercolor Society Show (New Orleans, Louisiana), the Southern Watercolor Society Show (Augusta, Georgia), the Southwestern Watercolor Show (Dallas, Texas), and the Alabama Watercolor Show (Mobile, Alabama). He was included in the J.E.C. Show in Arkadelphia (Arkansas) and the Arkansas Arts Center’s Small Works on Paper.

The highlights of 1990 were having a painting accepted in the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Annual Exhibition and having four one man shows – two in the SAU-El Dorado Atrium, one at SAAC, one at the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center (Russellville), and one in Dailey’s Office Furniture Company (Little Rock).

Mr. Price continued to paint through 2006.

The bulk of this retrospective is made up of works that belong to the Price family (including his very first painting), with select pieces from private collections here in El Dorado and in the SAAC permanent collection. Contributors include: Michelle and Jim Price, Sarah Price, Jessica Price, Mary and Ted Bounds, Mason Telford, Pete Parks, Paul Choate, and Ann and Burney Wilson.