In this ETV Classic, Profile: Blue Sky, we meet the artist who started painting murals in 1974, and the ETV crew accompanies him on visits to three of his murals. Blue Sky observed that too much art was contained in museums, or in collections of the wealthy, and he felt that art should be for the people, and on the streets where it could be enjoyed. While he was an artist, he considered himself a muralist.
The realistic "Tunnel Vision" in downtown Columbia, South Carolina was his first mural. It was painted on the back of an office building, which was fifty-five feet by seventy-five feet and located across the street from a hospital, adjacent to a parking lot. Blue Sky liked the fact that patients in their hospital rooms could see his painting across the way. Inspired by Beethoven and Bach as he painted, realism was enhanced with either painted elements or real objects to impart illusion to his work.
This glimpse into the work of Blue Sky is unique in that we get a first-hand view of the creative process employed for each of the three murals. "Moonlight on the Great Pee Dee" was painted in Florence, South Carolina (1978), while "Overflow Parking" was painted in Flint, Michigan (1978).
In 2000, Blue Sky was a recipient of the “Order of the Palmetto," the State of South Carolina's highest civilian honor. Visit Side Notes to learn more about the art, accomplishments, and honors of Blue Sky.
Side Notes
- Tunnel Vision - Columbia Metropolitan 2023. Blue Sky, who attended Dreher High School, has worked as a full-time artist since 1971. His unique style has led him to paint not only on wood and canvas but also on buildings. His work can be seen throughout Columbia as well as alongside such artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Andrew Wyeth, Isamu Noguchi, Louise Nevelson, George Tooker, and Winslow Homer and at sites that include the White House, the National Academy of Design, and the public collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
- Blue Sky Official Website. Collections and more.
- Recipient of “Order of the Palmetto” -- the states highest civilian honor in 2000. Listing of Order of the Palmetto Recipients.
- View a listing of Blue Sky's public murals.
- Smithsonian American Art Museum - Blue Sky.
