 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Famed folk artist to offer art, history
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN, Times Staff Writer
Last year, when Port Richey Mayor Eloise Taylor went to Ocala for an exhibit of art by Florida's premiere folk artists, now called the Highwaymen, she was captivated by the color and life in the paintings. The Highwaymen are a group of 26 east Florida African-American men and one woman who painted colorful landscapes of natural Florida and sold them for $15 or $20 from the trunks of their cars in the 1950s and '60s, thus the source of art aficionado Jim Fitch's name for them. "They have a great story, and I just love their paintings," Taylor said. "I own two of R.L. Lewis' paintings myself." Lewis is one of the artists author Gary Munroe wrote about in his 2001 book, The Highwaymen. Lewis and his manager and son, also named R.L. Lewis, were at the Ocala show. Taylor asked them if they would be interested in coming to Port Richey for a show and sale. To her delight and surprise, they accepted. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., they'll be at Waterfront Park Pavilion on Old Post Road at the west end of Grand Boulevard. "At 10 a.m., my dad will sign autographs on the (printed) note cards and paintings that are purchased," the younger Lewis said. For the rest of the day, the artist will demonstrate his painting techniques, and both men will sell previously created paintings and answer questions about the Highwaymen, Lewis in particular. "There are a lot of myths out there, and we'll answer those," the younger Lewis said. For one, the artists rarely, if ever, actually sold by the roadside. "My dad mostly sold from bank lobbies where he already had a good relationship with the bankers." Others sold to and through motels, offices, furniture stores and individuals. Munroe points out that the artists didn't paint with house paints, as often rumored; they used good artists' paints but did their works on inexpensive materials such as Upson board -- a roofing material used then -- and Masonite and framed their work with crown molding. In the past few years, their works have come into fashion, and their older works now sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars. They were self-taught, but many also received professional training from their Lincoln Academy High School art teacher, Zanobia Jefferson, and from professional artist A.L. Backus. Many art lovers say the appeal of the work is its immediacy -- "painting in the moment," they call it -- and its vibrant, carefree style, in which the artists follow their own instincts and intuitions. The acknowledged leader of the group, Alfred Hair, met a tragic end. Many of the others went to college and had professional careers. Most of them continued to paint. All but Lewis lived in the Fort Pierce area. Lewis grew up and still lives near Cocoa. He spent 32 years in the classroom as an elementary, junior high and high school teacher. For 15 years, he has also been an adjunct instructor at Brevard Community College and at the Cocoa Village Art Adult Association. "We'll have many, many paintings for sale Saturday," the younger Lewis said. They'll range in size from 4 by 4 inches to 30 by 40 inches and in price from $20 to $3,000, he said. They'll also have printed notecards, five for $10, and limited edition Giclee digital inkjet reproductions starting at $40. Many art lovers say the appeal of the work is its immediacy -- "painting in the moment," they call it -- and its vibrant, carefree artlessness, in which the artists follow their own instincts and intuitions. "My father does a variety of subjects, everything from (President Richard) Nixon shaking his fist to a panther in the woods," Lewis said. The elder Lewis once traveled to New England to paint pictures of snowscapes. He has frequently painted scenes from the Florida Panhandle. "His most popular painting is Spritz Wave, a wave crashing on rocks," Lewis said. He works in oils, acrylic and watercolor, on request. Recently, he took up sculpturing. Since Lewis retired from full-time teaching, he has accepted several commissions to paint portraits for private individuals. He lives on a 6-acre family estate in City Point 4 miles north of Cocoa Beach with this wife, Ann, whom he met while working and attending classes in Syracuse, N.Y. "I'm a country boy," the elder Lewis said with a hearty laugh. "I love people; it's just, I don't want to live around them." His son drives him to shows so that he an enjoy the scenery -- and get ideas for paintings -- as they travel. Asked his age, Lewis quickly replied: "I'm 32," then added, "Actually, I'm really younger than that, because the outer man seems to be aging, but the inner man is getting younger day by day." Lewis is actually 61. He joked about his long career in teaching, "I taught junior high, so everybody thinks I'm crazy." Being able to work on his own fulfils a lifetime dream. "I never wanted a job. I wanted to be a floater," he said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Hernando Times |
