Self-Trained Local Artist Gee Horton's Hyperrealistic Pencil Drawings Will Blow Your Mind | Cincinnati Refined

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Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

“Over the last three years, I have been working on my craft and just drawing. It gives me joy and I fell in love with it, and it is something I feel I'm called to do.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker{ }// Published: 6.28.20

“I think my life experiences are directly correlated to my art. Besides the commissioned pieces that I'm working on, the drawings that I'm working on are, in a way, telling a story into my life and art allows me to tell stories as a reflection of my life. Art is a vehicle that grants me access into that story as well as the viewer.” -Gee Horton / Image courtesy of Gee Horton{ }// Published: 6.28.20

<p>His work aims to, "Make a connection between his African roots and their juxtaposition to American attitudes on the social and emotional development of the African-American male experience." / Image: Gee Horton // Published: 6.28.20 </p>

Gee's next series is entitled "Coming of Age" and focuses on the story of Gee’s nephew as a young African-American boy transitioning to adulthood. “While he's on this conquest to transition to manhood, he finds himself searching for a number of things: love, purpose, and most importantly his identity as it is directly influenced by the environment he's surrounded by.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker{ }// Published: 6.28.20

Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image courtesy of Gee Horton{ }// Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

“A lot of my work is rooted in hyperrealism, and one hope is that on a technical side, viewers can appreciate the technical work, skill level, and the amount of the attention to detail that goes into each drawing to make it look realistic as a photo.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker{ }// Published: 6.28.20

Cincinnati Refined: What’s your favorite subject to illustrate? / Gee Horton: People — there's so many layers of people. I want to peel back some of those layers and tell my story through art. / Image: Gee Horton // Published: 6.28.20

<p>“During BLINK [2019] weekend, I was in the Cincy Nice Social House (CNSH) exhibit. This was by far my favorite because it was more of a performance installation where I was drawing live for the entire weekend… I was drawing inside of an eight-foot, illuminated glass box… It was cool because I like drawing in public; I like showing what I can do in front of people. -Gee Horton / Image courtesy of Gee Horton{ }// Published: 6.28.20 </p>

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee's next series is entitled "Coming of Age" and focuses on the story of Gee’s nephew as a young African-American boy transitioning to adulthood. “While he's on this conquest to transition to manhood, he finds himself searching for a number of things: love, purpose, and most importantly his identity as it is directly influenced by the environment he's surrounded by.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

{ }“My senior year at Thomas Moore I signed myself up for a drawing class called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain."... It was that class that reintroduced me to this talent I had. I fell in love with it all over, and it was phenomenal. After graduation, I knew I wanted to coach so I neglected [my art] again. My professor in that class stopped me right before graduation and asked me what I was going to do when I graduated. I told her I wanted to coach and she told me that was foolish and I should focus on my art and I laughed at her.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee's next series is entitled "Coming of Age" and focuses on the story of Gee’s nephew as a young African-American boy transitioning to adulthood. “While he's on this conquest to transition to manhood, he finds himself searching for a number of things: love, purpose, and most importantly his identity as it is directly influenced by the environment he's surrounded by.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

“What I love about [graphite and charcoal] is it has so many capabilities. I find freedom in the looseness of charcoal and pencil. It allows you to manipulate pencil lines and shapes and with that, you can create shapes with deep, rich contrast and I can go as deep as I want with the details and pencils.” / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee was among 17 black, local artists who were asked to create a Black Lives Matter mural on Plum Street between 8th and 9th streets. He chose to illustrate a poem by Langston Hughes in the "L." / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

“What I love about [graphite and charcoal] is it has so many capabilities. I find freedom in the looseness of charcoal and pencil. It allows you to manipulate pencil lines and shapes and with that, you can create shapes with deep, rich contrast and I can go as deep as I want with the details and pencils.” / Image: Shay Nartker{ }// Published: 6.28.20

Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee's next series is entitled "Coming of Age" and focuses on the story of Gee’s nephew as a young African-American boy transitioning to adulthood. “While he's on this conquest to transition to manhood, he finds himself searching for a number of things: love, purpose, and most importantly his identity as it is directly influenced by the environment he's surrounded by.” -Gee Horton / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways.{ }/ Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee was among 17 black, local artists who were asked to create a Black Lives Matter mural on Plum Street between 8th and 9th streets. He chose to illustrate a poem by Langston Hughes in the "L." / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Originally from Louisville, Gee Horton was introduced to the Queen City while attending Thomas Moore University. Although he always had a love for art, he began his professional path coaching women's basketball. He coached at the University of Louisville, Furman University, and Xavier University. It was during his stint at Xavier that he realized he was ready to leave the coaching lifestyle behind, which ultimately led him to reconnect with his art. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

Gee Horton's hyper-realistic drawings done with graphite and charcoal pencils have earned him accolades all over town. Most recently, you'll find Gee as the artist-in-residence at the Mercantile Library, where he has been commissioned to draw a six-foot portrait of Peter H. Clark, the library's first African-American member. Gee also sits on the board of ArtWorks and Wave Pool, serves as a co-host of the Urban Consulate, and supports the artist community in many ways. / Image: Shay Nartker // Published: 6.28.20

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