About a year ago we here at Mellencamp.com received and email from an artist named Patrick Ginter. Pat had the opportunity to meet John in 2010 at the Buffalo chip campground in Sturgis South Dakota. He asked John if he could paint a picture of him, John agreed and posed with Pat's acoustic guitar, a very out of tune guitar John kidded him. Pat said it was a very wild day, it was blazing hot and a carnival atmosphere at the Buffalo chip as Bob Dylan and Kid Rock were both playing their that day, Pat and John chatted for a moment with Pat promising to send John the painting if he wanted, John told him to email us with a picture.
Pat next saw John's art in person when he played in Minnesota at the Orpheum theatre in Minneapolis MN on Nov. 17th 2010 right before he left on a trip to paint in Florida at the the Beaux arts festival at Miami University. Pat had hoped to connect with John at the show but naturally didn't have an easy time doing that. Before the show, he gave one of John's crew members a print of Robert Johnson that he had painted and asked him if he would forward it to someone because he had met John and his manager at Sturgis earlier in August 2010.
He soon got a phone call from John's road manager and he told Pat there was a ticket waiting for him for that nights show. Pat said "the tour manager knew John liked Robert Johnson, who doesn't! Because he recorded one song of the new CD at the Historic Gunther Hotel in San Antonio Texas the same room where Johnson recorded some songs." Pat said it was very nice to see John perform and see his paintings which John had brought along and put on display in the lobby. Pat felt they were really cool and kind of satirical, they seemed somewhat political and social well done.
Pat was able to meet with John briefly after the show and John signed the Mellencamp painting on the back, it is for sale
www.PatrickGinter.com or
[email protected], Pat says it belongs in the collection of a Mellencamp fan rather than just another piece of his art around his studio.
Pat asked John if he needed on artist to travel along to Chicago but he said I wouldn't like the road life to much! Pa says "if he ever changes his mind I would love to collaborate with him with my art, thank you again John Mellencamp!"
Pat is very pleased with the painting, he feels like it captures John's energy and has a very nice vibe to it.
{UPDATE: Received an update from Patrick,
He is going to make prints of the painting. He is offering them for $30 (plus $10 for shipping). The prints are 13inx19in on acid free paper. 20% of the painting price will be donated to the Marilyn Mellencamp Scholarship and Farm Aid!
The original painting, 24x36inches acrylic on canvas is available for sale. $3,500 or best offer with 20% of that also being split among John's charities.
Please email Patrick directly at
[email protected] to purchase a print or the painting!}