“The Many Faces of Folk Art” — Hurn Museum of Contemporary Folk Art, Savannah

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Faces of Folk
Folk Art in Transition
Della Wells
Born in 1951 and a native of Wisconsin, Della Wells is a self-taught
artist who began drawing and painting at the age of 42. She has
completed over 2000 works of art in various media and is recognized as
a leading African American folk artist with her work included in more
than 100 collections throughout the United States. A renaissance
woman of sorts, Wells created a feminist cartoon strip in the Milwaukee
Chapter of Nine to Five’s bimonthly newsletter. In 1997, Wells was the
first African American to have a solo show at the David Brunett Gallery
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"Self Portrait"
by Cher Shaffer

Cher Shaffer
Cher Shaffer, a self-taught artist, produces work that is influenced both
by her heritage, life experience and interactions with family members
and friends. Having spent 30 years as a working artist, Shaffer has had
nine, one-woman shows and has been showcased in several galleries
and museums throughout the United States. In 1989, her work was one
of several Appalachian artists work featured in the book entitled,
“O’Appalachia,” with its own traveling exhibition.
Eric Legge
Eric Legge is unique among “outsider” artists. He is completely
untrained as an artist. From an early age, he was blessed with talent and
has known for a long time that he was destined to create art. Eric
spends his days and nights creating beautiful work that defies accurate
description, often hiding elements inside his pieces. Even the
symbolism of his signature reflects an artful touch. Legge is a far cry
from the eccentric elders or unschooled “isolates” many people typecast
as self-taught artists.
Matt Sesow
Regarded as an “outsider” artist, Matt Sesow’s imagery is derived from
events in his life and the lives of others in various stages of trauma,
hope, hopelessness and healing. Sesow was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
At 8 years of age, he was struck by a landing airplane near his home and
his arm was severed by the propeller. Though Matt’s arm was reattached by surgeons, his dominant hand was amputated. Six years
later, he traveled to Newcastle, England and participated in the Disabled
Olympics on the United States team. Matt attended college in
Oklahoma and received a scholarship from the Mensa Society. He
achieved a B.S. degree in computer/software engineering. He began to
make drawings in 1988 and began painting in oils in 1993. Matt has
traveled the world and has painted in of the countries he has visited.

"Father of the Bride"
by Matt Sesow

Michael Banks
Michael Bank’s artwork reflects an abstract and expressionistic style
using a mixture of found objects and artist materials that is further
complemented by a vivid color palette of penetrating red, yellow and
green. Raised by his single mother in a housing project in northern
Alabama, Bank’s artistic prowess for drawing and painting was evident
at an early age, as he began to create artwork using whatever materials
and mediums he could obtain with encouragement from his mother.
The elongation and distended form of his figures, characterized by their
small, facial attributes and swollen mournful gazes, reflects a certain
despondency that the artist may have endured due to the passing of his
mother in 1992. It was not until 1997 that Banks recalled his mother’s
accolades, and began the healing process via the creation of his own
unique brand of artwork. Today, Banks continues painting full time. He
is a family man and a proud parent of a baby son. “I still experiment,
combining both found objects as well as artist materials into my work.
Everyday I try to create. Painting is my life.”
Carrie Knowles
Written and Visual Images.
“I have spent my life creating images with words. About 10 years ago,
however, I began to get impatient with writing and decided I also
wanted to be able to see those images in color and line. I had
previously dabbled in pottery and once tried painting, but didn’t find
either to be the kind of expression I wanted. Then I started making
prints. Printmaking was most like writing to me. It used paper and ink
and the tedious cutting, pushing, pulling, carving, etching and
scratching of printmaking was a lot like writing: all the various steps of
printmaking gave me the time I needed and wanted to play with my
images so I could edit and carefully think through how I envisioned
what I wanted to say. Printmaking also gave me lots of exciting new
tools with which to experiment. One of the things that attracted me to
printmaking was the experimental nature of the artwork. There seemed
to be an unlimited range of tools you could use to create prints and few
rules. By definition, if something could be pressed, pushed, stamped or
transferred onto paper to make an image, it could rightfully be called
printmaking. In addition to printmaking, I also make collages. Creating
collages is a natural extension of my printmaking work. Good
printmaking paper is too expensive to waste. So, when I ruin a print, I
cut it up to create new images in collages.”
Gabriel Shaffer
“Hello, my name is Gabriel Shaffer. I am a self taught artist and son of
nationally recognized folk/visionary artist Cher Shaffer, most notable
for her appearance in the book, “O’Appalachia.” I was raised within the
medium and had direct contact with the works of many folk and selftaught masters. My Mom held me as she painted some of her early
works. I have always been here, watching the various artists pass by as
I have gotten older. Three years ago, I moved to Chicago in a decision
to further my knowledge and abilities in painting. This past March, I
moved to Asheville, North Carolina, in the Appalachian mountains, not
too far from my mother’s farm and studio in Creston, North Carolina.”

Copyright © 2004 The Hurn Museum

"Good Boy, Bad Boy"
by Michael Banks

"Man With Three Souls"
by Gabriel Shaffer