Derrek Vaughn | The Valdosta Daily TimesA mural at The Draw was done by artist Ethan Abbott. 

VALDOSTA — Art is an escape for painter Ethan Abbott. 

The Lowndes County native moved around a lot as a kid and a young Abbott found it difficult to handle change.

“It was really sort of therapy for me growing up. … I was always the new kid, and it just kind of helped me escape during the hard times,” Abbott said. “It feels like there’s a constant change going on, and I’m sometimes having a hard time dealing with that.”

Art he said aids him with an auditory processing disorder, allowing him to communicate visually.

The watercolor and acrylic painter has been a professional artist for four years. He previously studied graphic design at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.

He sometimes utilizes mixed media, blending both watercolor and acrylic to create a masterpiece, as seen at Baytree restaurant Big Nick’s.

Abbott noticed Nick “Big Nick” Harden opening his eatery a few years ago and decided to approach him about possibly doing art for the walls.

“I walked to him and was like, hey, you’ve got a bunch of blank space on the walls, let me show you a portfolio and see if I can help you put something up there for you,” Abbott said.

Harden agreed.

Abbott credits Harden with being the first one to professionally hire him.

Inspiration for the pieces seen at Big Nick’s correlates with the type of restaurant it is, Abbott said.

“He serves soul food, so I tried to do soul music,” he said.

Tina Turner, Prince and Bob Marley are a few of the musicians who are on the tables and walls of Big Nick’s.

The artist utilized watercolor with black acrylic for the tables and mostly watercolor with some black acrylic for the framed paintings hanging on the walls.

He said painting on the wooden tables was similar to using canvas. An epoxy finish allows them to be eaten on and cleaned without ruining the integrity of the painting.

Around town, Abbott’s artwork can be found at Klutch, Hug in a Mug, Lowndes High School, Louie Smalls and In the Game Magazine. His pieces are for sale at Sublime and Home of 10,000 Picture Frames.

People walking through baggage claim at the Valdosta Regional Airport will see a mural by Abbott in the forthcoming months.

The mural, set to be started this month, will depict the essence of Valdosta. The city’s name is spelled out in the mural.

The intricate painting was a concept that Abbott created himself, he said.

“It’s like landmarks special to Valdosta,” Abbott said. “It’s unique to us, and that just goes to show you got more culture than people realize.”

The “V” will have images of Valdosta State University, as well as the three-dimensional red heart sitting by Valdosta City Hall downtown.

The “A” will have the azalea flower while the “L” will have a landing strip.

The “D” will show portraits of the late dentist John Henry “Doc” Holliday and actor Demond Wilson. The Crescent will also be painted in the “D” because of its shape, Abbott said.

A roller coaster loop at Wild Adventures Theme Park will circle the “O.”

A portrait of actor Sonny Shroyer will be seen in the “S” and “T” will represent Titletown. Ashley House Apartments will conclude the mural in the “A.”

The “VALDOSTA” mural represents Abbot’s specialty and signature style, double exposure.

Double exposure is a tool used to correlate opposing ideas utilizing a theme. Abbott detailed this tool through his painting, “Make Me a Bird.”

The detailed artwork shows a woman on top of a building peering down into a city. Another way to view the painting is to see a woman looking at birds and “thinking about life.”

“It’s contradictory in a way; but it also ties together with make me a bird,” Abbott said. “It’s like I want to fly. It’s not a suicidal type of thing.”

Abbott chose to do double exposure because he believes it best visualizes what it’s like with an auditory processing disorder, he said.

“I’m always mishearing things, having trouble communicating or struggling to understand what people are saying,” he said.

“I think it has influenced my art in terms of coming up with conversation pieces that can have multiple interpretations while still having a main theme/message.”

Abbott has expanded his artistry into a business that provides four buying options for his customers: limited-edition prints, a wholesale discount, affiliated marketing and wholesale inventory.

Reflecting on past successes, Abbott said he’s blessed.

“I’ve had a lot of help along the way from my family, the community. People don’t think there’s a lot of culture in Valdosta because they’re coming from some big city or something but I’m living proof it is what you make it,” he said.

“I could’ve moved off and been an artist anywhere, but I decided to bloom where I planted.”

Abbott advises anyone striving to start an art business to ensure a sellable product and flexibility with customers.

“Work every day as hard as you can as much as you can, and it’ll happen,” he said.

Search for Art by Ethan Abbott on Facebook to see photos of his artwork. Call (229) 415-1756 for price inquiries. 

Amanda M. Usher is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1274.