Highwaymen art coming to south Florida

[Holli]

http://www.floridakeysnews.info
Highwaymen art coming to south Florida
(About our cover)
FLORIDA CITY - The Homestead Art Club (HAC), which has been in
existence since 1940 and considers itself to be a part of Florida's
Art History, is bringing one of the largest collection of Florida
Highwaymen paintings to South Miami.
Alfred Hair and the Highway-men were inducted into the Florida
Artists' Hall of Fame this year. They painted in the 1940s, '50s and
'60s. Some of them are still alive and painting today. James Gibson
was recently chosen by the White House to produce a permanent
Christmas ornament for the main tree. Highwaymen paintings were also
added to the dȣor of the Florida governor's mansion in recent
years.
Though mostly self-taught, they were mentored by A. E. Backus, one of
Florida's renown landscape painters. He was inducted into the Florida
Artists' Hall of Fame in 1993. Backus was "color-blind" in a time of
segregation and racial strife. He cared about the success of these
young artists. These young, black, African-American landscape painters
would come to him for advice, hangout in his studio and come to his
home.
The term "Highwaymen" was not chosen by this group of African-American
landscape painters. Highwaymen was a term given them by Jim Fitch in
1944. Art galleries at the time would not carry the works of unknown
black artists.
This did not stop them. They painted and sold out of the back of their
vehicles on the Florida highways and roads.
Their work has a lively, quick quality about it. Speed became an
integral element in their work. Backus told them to slow down but they
continued to paint quickly to make sales and went on to create a style
of their own. They often sold paintings that were fresh and wet with
oils. Ego was not part of their routine and many paintings were
unsigned but can be recognized by the unique style they developed. It
has been determined they produced over 50,000 paintings. Most of the,
not all of them, came from Black Town in Fort Pierce.
Their works were produced on Upson Board (roofing material) and framed
in crown molding painted white. These products were affordable and
readily available. A sense of camaraderie existed amongst them and
they helped each other learn and succeed. They started becoming
successful in the '60s. This tradition of passing on and sharing
artistic knowledge is why they donated some of their time to the Wave
Crest Shelter on the Treasure Coast which handles abused, neglected
and troubled children.
The Homestead Art Club exhibit which will be on display is the largest
collection of their work to be assembled. It will be on loan to the
Homestead Art Club September through December 2004.
The Orange County Regional History Center and the Florida Division of
Cultural Affairs assisted the Homestead Art Club in bringing this
historical exhibit to the South Florida area. The Highwaymen will be
on exhibit in Homestead Art Club's Studio 100 Art Gallery located in
the Prime Outlet Mall in Florida City.
The gallery hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday noon until
6 p.m. Friday and Saturday noon until 9 p.m. Phone: (786) 243-0447