Saturday, June 4, 2011

survivor mindset

Red Dog Running #3, William Hawkins, 1895-1990
Columbus Museum of Art

Whenever I visit the Columbus Museum of Art, I always like to stop in the gift shop on the way out and pick up some postcards of my favorite pieces.  This one has been on my desk since my visit last month. I love it's bright, quirky playfulness, the little fairies, and even the misspelling of "running".  Hawkins' style stems from what is described as his bold, optimistic "survivor mindset". It makes me smile. I'd like to think we are all survivors.


William Hawkins was one of the finest self-taught artists of the 20th century. He has had one-person exhibitions at the Museum of American Folk Art and the Columbus Museum of Art, and his paintings and drawings have been included in many important museum survey exhibitions of American Outsider and Folk Art at venues such as the New Orleans Museum of Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The National Museum of American Art, and The High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

Although Hawkins had only a third grade education, he was a bright student of life from his early days on a farm in Northern Kentucky until his last vital painting years in Columbus, Ohio. Hawkins began drawing pictures of horses as a boy while looking at photographs and engravings of horses that his grandfather owned. Hawkins worked hard and resourcefully at many trades including trapping, farming, horse-breaking, truck driving, horse painting, "flophouse" managing, and metal scrap dealing.

His dynamic, artistic style was forged from his optimistic, hard-charging, "survivor" mindset. His earliest known paintings from circa 1978 until 1983 have reductive, powerful decorative patterning, dynamic utilization of pictorial space, and iconic commanding forms which yield a purity of expression that is extraordinary. Hawkins' paintings from the middle to late 1980s have rich, visceral brushwork and more compositional complexity than his earlier works. Some paintings, such as Speckled Buildings, 1986, are outstanding, in their harmonious color arrangements, surface animation, and pictorial unity.

In several of the artist's middle and late period paintings, he began to incorporate collage and/or assemblage in his paintings. He occasionally utilized cornmeal to build up forms, in a sculptural manner, from the surface upon which he was painting. The artist's creative fusion of mass media advertisements, etc. with his uniquely rich paint handling and sculptural forms yields provocative and inventive aesthetic statements.

The artist also created a small but vital group of drawings throughout the last twelve years of his life. These works are distinguished by his clarity of vision, creative pictorial designs, and wry sense of humor. The highly personal lens of William Hawkins' vital soul is alive in all of his art.

Winter Sleigh, William Hawkins
(click to embiggen)


info borrowed from Keny Galleries

30 comments:

  1. I was not familiar with Hawkins and his art work and really appreciate this lovely and enthused introduction to such a singular artist.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, LLL, it's nice to see you, my friend. You've been missed at Willow Manor! x

    ReplyDelete
  3. There's so much vibrancy in those paintings. Thank you for sharing this man's work with us -- I had never heard of him.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I always appreciate hearing about an artist that I am unfamiliar with. These are simple but impressive. He is his own artist for sure.
    QMM

    ReplyDelete
  5. A friend of mine had a souvenir from Malawi with the immortal words 'Runing Lion' carefully carved on the top, above a suitable illustration.

    It was also common to find round wooden bread-boards in England with the word 'Braed' carved around the perimeter. These were misspelled on purpose to fool the gullible tourists. I own one!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Visionary art at it's best. I had not heard of Hawkins. Thanks again for the enlightenment!

    ReplyDelete
  7. that is quite a colorful art... thanks for the info.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mmm, wow, I love those. Thanks for showing them to me!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I had never heard of him willow but what a wonderful man. I love this kind of 'innocent' art.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really enjoy "outsider" self taught art and have been to a few shows at the American Folk Art Museum...it is sad to learn that they can't keep up with their gorgeous new museum and will be moving out to smaller spaces...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cro, bra-ed sounds like "bread" spoken by someone from the American south! giggle

    ReplyDelete
  12. another great introduction, thank you my friend...wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wonderful example of Outsider and Folk art...this artist, Hawkins is new to me...thanks for the introduction!

    ReplyDelete
  14. me too...we are expecting rain tonight so i am off to get that darn cottage cheese...and am making the bread....and thinking of you, my friend

    happy to see you today

    kary

    ReplyDelete
  15. thankyou for this lovely piece of history of american art. It looks similar to the work of James Dixon in the west of Ireland and Alfred Wallis in Cornwall who were known as naives. their art is so free and lacking the resrictions of the more trained artist. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Impressive! His artwork would lend itself beautifully towards Stone Mosaic. The Earthiness speaks for itself...Cheers mate!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tess -- Great tribute for a wonderful Kentucky folk artist. What an energized piece -- Red Dog Running. So enjoyed -- barbara

    ReplyDelete
  18. "His earliest known paintings from circa 1978" That makes him 83 at that point in his life. That's pretty amazing that he was, presumably, quietly working away for all those years in obscurity. Obviously his art was for himself rather than for selfpromotion.
    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the red dog runing! I'm very fond of 'Outsider Art.'

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a pleasant blog you keep here, I'm remembering. Been hibernating...and missing the Manor visits.

    Tonight, wild boar perhaps? With some Strauss background music, possibly some waltzes?

    Loved the Hawkins work...different for me. I learn here.
    PEACE!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Fascinating work. I have never heard Hawkins. You've done a delightful piece telling us about him.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What vitality and passion in these. Thanks for the intro, Tess.

    ReplyDelete
  23. What vitality and passion in these striking paintings. Thanks for the intro, Tess.

    ReplyDelete
  24. i like the work of artists who are found by art. thanks for the introduction tess! steven

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you so much for telling us about this artist, William Hawkins. I love this work!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Love the colors in the Tess. I find Outsider art to be so real, so inspired. And, it's great that they were featured in prominent places. So many Outsiders have never been discovered but the ones who have: oh my!

    ReplyDelete
  27. One of the things that really strikes me in your description of Hawkins is all of the things that he knew how to do. This is wonderfully exuberant art.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Love the "Winter Sleigh" image. I'm not familiar with Hawkins. Thanks for the introduction!

    ReplyDelete
  29. This is one of my favorite pictures that my grandfather painted. I remember when he did this.

    ReplyDelete
  30. cadams, I am fascinated by your connection to Hawkins. Please tell me more!

    ReplyDelete

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)