JAMES WOOD
Staff Writer
As Bedford County has become home to many new people and cultural scenes, the art scene has also expanded. In Flat Creek, portrait artist Mutt Suttles owns an art gallery near the center of the town.
The culture of the region has changed dramatically in the last few decades, and has brought a strong artistic scene with many notable people being incorporated into the community.
Suttles, originally being from Alabama, has made an effort to connect with the community along with his wife Bethany in the various activities in the area including the Dickens dancers and the events at the Flat Creek Community Center.
“I didn’t know what Flat Creek was at first, but Bethany felt like God meant for her to be here,” said Suttles, “So if she’s meant to be in Flat Creek, I was meant to be in Flat Creek.”
The gallery is located in the old Flat Creek Water Co-op building that closed its doors and remained vacant until it was purchased.
“There’s a lot of pretty famous people,” Suttles said. The area has hosted other unique artists such as Vannoy Streeter, the wire sculptor or the various stained glass artists of Wartrace, to name a few examples.
Suttles, who is now 77, has valued the art culture of the region in his soft-retirement. “I don’t want people to think that they’re bothering me by coming and looking at my work,” he said. The gallery hosts a selection of his works on display.
The rich art culture of Bedford County is an important part of the history of the area and Flat Creek has drawn new people from around the region to be invited by the community.