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Born in 1972, Wade Guyton has already made a serious mark on the art world, becoming one of the most distinguished conceptual artists of his generation. Best known for his unique digital paintings, Wade Guyton has brought together the worlds of technology and traditional artwork in some truly creative ways.

 

American-born artist Wade Guyton has been interested in the creative world since childhood, and he has enjoyed enormous success throughout his life and career. A product of the American Midwest, Wade Guyton was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1972, but he grew up in the South, in a small Tennessee town called Lake City.

 

Wade Guyton's father died when he was just two years of age, and both his biological father and his stepfather were steelworkers, steeped in the traditions of hard work and the American heartland. That work ethic certainly rubbed off on the young, Wade Guyton, and he brings that same dedication to his artistic endeavors.

 

Wade Guyton's mother was a homemaker, but she also occasionally worked as a secretary for the Catholic church the Guytons attended. After a typical American childhood, Wade Guyton went on to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, earning a BA.

 

In 1996, Wade Guyton moved to New York City, were he attempted to enroll in the Whitney Independent Study Program. After twice being rejected by the administrators of the program, Wade Guyton went on to attend Hunter College, enrolling in the school's MFA program.

 

While still a student in the Hunter College MFA program, Wade Guyton was able to work with a number of notable teachers, including Robert Morris. Wade Guyton was also able to use his experience to gain employment, landing a job at the famous St. Mark's Bookshop, an East Village institution and a haven for writers, artists, playwrights and other denizens of the New York City creative scene.

 

Wade Guyton also gained employment as a guard at Dia: Chelsea, working there until Dia closed its doors in Chelsea. After losing that job, Wade Guyton used his severance pay to pay the rent on an East Village apartment and studio. The severance pay allowance from Dia:Chelsea allowed Wade Guyton to work on his art full time, without needing to look for another job right away.

 

The works of Wade Guyton are distinguished by a number of features, and each work is uniquely its own. Some of his earliest drawings feature a number of black X's arrayed over ripped out pages of books. These black X's quickly became his signature style, and they figure prominently into many of his later creations.

 

Like other contemporary artists of the day, Wade Guyton incorporates technology into his artwork in a number of ways. For years, his favorite tool of the trade has been a simple Epson Stylus Pro 9600 printer, and the inkjet designs it has created have become an integral part of Wade Guyton's artistic creations.

 

Wade Guyton used his Epson inkjet printer to create vivid large-format works, creating thoroughly modern paintings that are stylistically different, iconic and stunning to behold. But even though the inkjet printer was a vital part of his work, Wade Guyton eventually moved beyond it, and since 2006 he has largely created more traditional works on canvas.

 

Throughout his early days, Wade Guyton often remarked that he was most at home using books and literature as part of his artwork. Drawn to books and their power from an early age, it was only fitting that Wade Guyton would eventually incorporate them into his larger works of art.

 

Critics have also remarked that Wade Guyton's works are as much about paring down as building up. By paring down his works to their most basic elements - ink on the paper, pages from books and lines on the canvas, Wade Guyton was able to distill the unique flavor and power of modern art, creating works of unsurpassed beauty and power.

 

After a long and successful career, Wade Guyton remains one of the most highly sought after artists of his generation. From his earliest Epson inspired inkjet drawings to his later works on canvas, Wade Guyton exudes a power and influence not often seen in the contemporary art world. Art is all about power, and whether that power comes from a print nozzle or a paintbrush, it is evident in every work Wade Guyton has thus far created.