Selma Art Guild reception to feature artist Charlie Longmire

Charlie Longmire, a Selma native and 1993 graduate of Selma High, is the Selma Art Guild’s featured artist for the months of August and September with a reception in his honor on Aug. 10.

The reception will be held Sunday, Aug. 10 from 2-4 p.m. at the SAG Gallery located at 508 Selma Ave.

Longmire, 51, is a self-taught portrait artist whose works, among many others, have included a portrait of Selma’s own The Voice winner Asher HaVon. 

Longmire said he took art in high school from Barbara Hickens and was recruited by her to do art projects at the time at Calhoun Foods and Selma Mall. But he said he began drawing when he was 4- or 5-years-old and has been creating art ever since.

Longmire said, “I’ve always had a love and a passion for art.” And, he said, over the years he did drafting and designs and logos for t-shirts on his own before he embarked on creating portraits of people. 

Longmire said he watched the late artist Bob Ross (The Joy of Painting) on TV and put things together while he learned techniques and received inspiration from Ross. He also said he followed local artist Robert Baynes, who recently had a show with the Selma Art Guild, and other local artists like William Blakes.

Longmire said he uses various mediums to create his works including pastels, coloring pencils, pens, ink, charcoal and at times acrylics. He said when people see his work, he wants them to come away saying, “Golly, that’s amazing; he did a great job, or that looks just like… this is something out of the ordinary, more realistic.”