Muralists and Courtroom Sketch Artists – Art in Appalachia

Two artists that were featured on Inside Appalachia recently had their work recognized- and we think that’s worth celebrating. So this week we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from earlier this year- Inside Appalachia Road Trip: Art and Murals Across Appalachia’s Backroads.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Jeff Pierson, an artist who made courtroom sketches while Don Blankenship was on trial. Pierson isn’t a seasoned courtroom artist. He earns his living as an art teacher. He’s also illustrated children’s books and painted outdoor murals, like the painting of musician Blind Alfred Reed. That mural is part of a community art collective called the Princeton Renaissance Project. Jeff’s sketches from the Blankenship trial are now on display at Taylor Books in Charleston through April 18th.
• Patch Whiskey, whose work often features colorful cartoon like creatures in trippy abstract scenes. Charleston City Paper in Charleston, South Carolina recently was named the best local visual artist. Earlier this year, we heard from Patch on Inside Appalachia when he climbed down from a bucket truck to take a break from painting, set down his rattle cans and chat with our host Jessica Lilly.

• Stuart Bloch, the former president of the Mail Pouch Tobacco Company in Wheeling.  It was in the early 1900s when Stuart Bloch’s great-grandfather Jess Bloch came up with the idea to advertise on barns along highways. Mail Pouch Tobacco barn murals can still be seen today in 39 states.