"Gravel" by Scott Thigpen Now Available for Purchase
We are beyond excited to announce the first in a series of paintings inspired the Mulberry Gap experience and created by artist, mountain biker, and friend Scott Thigpen. “Gravel” captures the exhilaration of flying down the forest roads in the North Georgia mountains with the sun on your back and the wind in your face.
This limited edition artwork is ready to be shipped to your home today! There are 20 signed and numbered (12” x 18”) prints available for $100 each. 10% of proceeds will benefit our local Cartecay Youth Mountain Bike Team and North Georgia Mountain Bike Association.
"Gravel" is my first painting in the series. I painted the scene of a lone cyclist racing down the gravel road while straightening out the curves during Fall when all the leaves turn brilliant orange, reds, and yellows.
The print style is called a “giclee” method. “Jih- clay” and it’s a method of archival inks that last for hundreds of years OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT. Do not put the pictures in direct sunlight as it'll stain them pretty bad (like anything exposed to sunlight that's an ink or paint).
Giclée (/ʒiːˈkleɪ/ zhee-KLAY) is a neologism coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne for fine art digital prints made on inkjet printers.[1] The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on a modified Iris printer in a process invented in the late 1980s. It has since been used loosely to mean any fine-art printing, usually archival, printed by inkjet. It is often used by artists, galleries, and print shops to suggest high quality printing, but is an unregulated word with no associated warranty of quality.
Meet the Artist: Scott Thigpen
I am a concept artist for the film and animation industry. I was fortunate enough to work for Dreamworks' Shrek and an illustrator for the Wall Street Journal, Snapple, Coca Cola, and McGraw Hill Books. My wife Heather and I (and our four fur babies) live in Austin, Texas; however, I grew up in North Alabama and am no stranger to the north Georgia mountains.
Painters and drawers tend to sit on their tush all day, leading to minimal exercise and an ever-expanding waistline. In (2009), I picked up an old rickety bike that I could barely ride due to being relatively out of shape. Over time, I upgraded to a proper mountain bike and started riding with a group, albeit slow and permanently dead last (DFL). One afternoon, I saw a group event at a "mountain bike getaway at Mulberry Gap" in a bike shop. I had no idea what it was but liked the outdoors and decided to go.
With little endurance or fitness, I spent forever trying to climb the very steep gravel climb to Bear Creek. While grueling, it was the best experience ever especially diving into the first section, which is more like a roller coaster than a trail. After a day of trying to tackle Pinhoti 1 and 2, I made it back to Mulberry Gap and was treated to some of the best food, best times, and fantastic service the staff provided.
I loved Mulberry Gap so much that I came back as often as possible. Multiple trips up to the north Georgia mountains led to mountain bike racing, then completing the Trans North Georgia route in 2011 and finally using their location as a training ground for the 3000-mile Tour Divide Race from Canada to Mexico, which I finished in 2013, on a rigid single-speed.
Mulberry Gap has and always been and will forever be dear to me. When Kate Gates asked me if I'd do a series of pieces of the scenery surrounding their beautiful location, I jumped at the chance to do so as I have always wanted to express what was in my head while riding through the Pinhoti trails that region on the southeast.