Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole Gunter
Hi Cole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Both my grandmas we’re professional artists so I’ve always been around art and creating since I was a little kid. I sold my first painting in 2012 and I haven’t stopped since. Most recently I joined R Town Gallery in Grapevine Texas and plan to have a solo show in the next year or so.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road but everything you go through builds calluses. I’ve had deals fall through, I’ve had murals sand blasted before they were finished, I’ve had buyers commission paintings and then ghost me or not pay, I’ve even had paintings stolen from me. As cliche as it sounds tho, I wouldn’t change any of it because it lead me to where I am now.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Through my paintings, I seek to express feelings of nostalgia—capturing the tension between calm vs. chaos, humor vs. seriousness, reminiscence vs. contemporary issues.
Growing up in Texas during the 90s, I am deeply influenced by the simplicity and richness of that era—a time when life felt a bit slower and design had more intention. Inspired by Texas’ nature, history, and legendary figures, I’m also moved by American traditional tattoos, classic cars and trucks, mid-century architecture, and vintage advertising, like what you’d find in old Playboys. I aim to capture a sense of a different time—one that feels simpler and more authentic. I want my viewers to feel as if they’re listening to vinyl records in a Frank Lloyd Wright home or drinking cheap beer in a smoky bar, shooting pool. The contrast between simplicity and messiness in my process mirrors the contradictions and irony I see in the world—where things are not always as they appear at first glance. At times, my paintings are easy to digest, inviting immediate reflection; at other times, I want to provoke deeper thought and introspection.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Nothing is original. Paint what you’re interested in and paint what you feel. That’s when the real genuine work comes out and people will notice it. Of course you have to paint cool sh*t and it needs to be technically sound but your audience doesn’t just connect with the work, they connect with the artist as well. Be yourself and allow yourself to be vulnerable and viewers will hop on the bandwagon.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/colegunna
