Greg Kimsey
Artist, picture framer, Comic Book Store owner/enthusiast! Born in 1964, I began doing art at a very early age. My earliest memory of art was a drawing of Batman I did at age three. I remember it looking Just Like BATMAN! At least it did to a three year old's mind. As I entered school I "delighted" my teachers by drawing in the margins of all of my school work. I began painting in my teenage years and was awarded an Art Scholarship to Piedmont College. I decided college wasn't for me and I left for the US Navy. After a four year stint, my wife and I returned home with our two children. I pursued my art by taking weekly drawing lessons with my former college art teacher. After six months I took up oil painting lessons with her and studied for another six months with her. I secured a job with a local furniture manufacturer doing artwork on furniture. Reproducing artwork by famous artists such as Monet, Cezanne, Renoir and others honed my painting skills in both proficiency and speed. In 1998 my wife, Gail, and I opened the Art-Full Barn as a place for fellow artists to gather and sell their works. The store has evolved over the years and we are still going strong. My artwork is available at the Art-Full Barn.
I began doing picture framing to save money on my own framing. After a while, people began asking me who was doing my framing and I told them "I am". My wife and I started a business called Art-Full Frames and I began framing full time at the Art-Full Barn.
I paint in my spare time around my work schedule. I work in Oils primarily, but have painted in Pastels, Watercolors, and Acrylics, as well as working in graphite and other drawing mediums. My favorite medium continues to be Oil paints.
As part of our Art-Full Barn venture, comics seemed to be a natural addition to our inventory. I have always been a comic reader and collector. As an artist myself I appreciate the medium very much. We now have one of the largest comic selections in the area, with new comics and inventory coming in every Wednesday. We host many comic related events at the store, so I decided I needed a costume. I have several Cosplay friends, and love their costumes so I decided to build my own. I chose Captain America as my first costume build and have been very happy with the results. I wanted the shirt to have the "scale armor" look, so I used a plastic "paper" sheet and cut out 1200 little scales and hot glued them onto a shirt I had sewn. The first costume took over four months to create. I have since made several more Captain America costumes, upgrading and getting better with each one.
I enjoy playing a Super-Hero with Heroes in Force. I feel that children today need direction and encouragement; and we can talk until we are blue in the face as parents to "Never give up" or "Never be a bully" to no avail, but when Batman or Captain America tells them then they take it to heart. To hear it from someone they consider a hero, the message can get through. It also is a great way to give children and adults a fun experience; plus it livens up any event!
As part of our Art-Full Barn venture, comics seemed to be a natural addition to our inventory. I have always been a comic reader and collector. As an artist myself I appreciate the medium very much. We now have one of the largest comic selections in the area, with new comics and inventory coming in every Wednesday. We host many comic related events at the store, so I decided I needed a costume. I have several Cosplay friends, and love their costumes so I decided to build my own. I chose Captain America as my first costume build and have been very happy with the results. I wanted the shirt to have the "scale armor" look, so I used a plastic "paper" sheet and cut out 1200 little scales and hot glued them onto a shirt I had sewn. The first costume took over four months to create. I have since made several more Captain America costumes, upgrading and getting better with each one.
I enjoy playing a Super-Hero with Heroes in Force. I feel that children today need direction and encouragement; and we can talk until we are blue in the face as parents to "Never give up" or "Never be a bully" to no avail, but when Batman or Captain America tells them then they take it to heart. To hear it from someone they consider a hero, the message can get through. It also is a great way to give children and adults a fun experience; plus it livens up any event!
