VISIONS OF PARADISE
Then like the blind man that God gave back his sight
Praise the Lord I saw the light.
Hank Williams
By Doc Lawrence
ATLANTA-I met Rita Wood at the end of a rousing rendition of
the Hank Williams song, “I Saw the Light,” by a talented blues singer. She was
taking a break from greeting potential buyers at her family’s exhibition at
Folk Fest, the largest folk art show in the country, held for the past 20 years
just outside Atlanta. “I play fiddle,” Rita told me, “and my husband’s quite an
artist.”
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| RITA (L), DAWG AND ROBERTINE |
I walked over to the Dawg’s
Art booth, one of about 100 at the three-day show, and met James “Dawg” Wood
who introduced me to his art and told me his story. The revelations were
similar to those self-taught artisans I know and have been writing about for
many years. The common threads tend to be home, land, family, community and
humor. Dawg’s works, displayed for the crowds packed into the exhibition hall,
told a visual story about life and heritage in the Blue Ridge Mountains of
North Carolina, supplemented by Rita’s revelations about weekly jams at the
Phipps Country Store.
Do they dance? “It’s
flat-foot,” replied Dawg who demonstrated the ancient steps, confirming that I
had seen this performed a few years back in Galax, Virginia.
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| MISSIONARY MARY WITH NEW PAL |
Dawg has enjoyed some success
that eludes many folk artists, having won the admiration of
Atlanta-headquartered Coca-Cola Company with one of his paintings that had an
image of an old Coke machine, a bit of nostalgia that turned into a profit and
some notoriety for the resident of Lansing, North Carolina.
Folk Fest draws visitors from
museum curators and art collectors to people who love the color and
authenticity of what I call Americana. Officials from the Smithsonian, the
American Museum of Folk Art, colleges and universities hobnob with folks who
search for that painting or wood carving to brighten up a dull room. The rich
and famous stand beside children from rural areas; housewives take a weekend
off to look for a hand-crated ceramic angel to put on a mantel. Art and
democracy blend seamlessly.
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| PAINTING BY LORENZO SCOTT |
Missionary Mary Proctor lives
in Tallahassee and has connections with a higher power that few enjoy. Tragedy
like the loss of her son never deterred her deep beliefs and contagious
optimism. Life goes on, there’s a better world waiting and look on the
sunnyside are prevalent themes. I have her works on my walls at home and a
favorite shows a woman dancing, holding some daffodils, inscribed with:
“Blessed are the hands that giveth flowers.”
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| ERIC LEGEE |
No artist does Biblical
scenes like the great Lorenzo Scott, a master whose works are in museums from
Atlanta’s High Museum of Art to the Smithsonian. Eric Legee still paints on
found wood in his Blue Ridge mountain home in rural Rabun County, Georgia, and
his themes range from the Dalai Lama to blues legend Robert Johnson. Braselton,
Georgia’s Chris Hobe produces what he calls ”revolt art,” a populist expression
of current events. When you see it, stops you in your tracks. Precise, detailed
and provocative, it’s subject to multiple interpretations like many works by
classic artists.
The year is nearing the end
of the third season and late summer is a perfect time for Folk Fest: Heat and
humidity, endless rain, old friends, the joy of being in the same room and
breathing the same air with children, old men, couples holding hands and
unconsciously doing some toe-tapping to live music is the perfect backdrop for
this edition of Folk Fest.
As Missionary Mary Proctor
says, “to be happier, you have to be in heaven.”
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