Figure 6. "Husband and Wife" by Deborah Goldsmith, watercolor on paper, circa 1820, New England, 6" x 4 3/4". (New York State Historical Association)
ary artist whose personal experiences denied her the opportunity for training but who nevertheless has evolved her own distinctive surreal style is Minnie Evans of Wilmington, North Carolina. Born in 1892, Evans worked as first a domestic servant and then a gatekeeper for many years. Her curious and colorful designs contain visionary images derived from both nature and her beloved Book of Revelations, Figure 8. Speaking of the subconscious element in her creative process, Evans has said: "I had day visions—they would take advantage of 24
me" and "something had my hand."4 "The Woman Folk Artist in America" hails the extent and excellence of the art produced by our country's women since the 17th century to the present day. Through both their art and their valiant perseverance to create in spite of all obstacles, these known women folk artists, together with an untold number of anonymous women, have left us a precious legacy that provides us with visible links to the past, visual pleasure for the present, and a valuable source of inspiration for those women
who will carry on the tradition of folk artistry in the years to come.
FOOTNOTES 1. An expression first employed by Virginia Woolf in her essay, A Room of One's Own, (New York: Harcourt Brace 8c Company, 1929), which explains women's limited creative output as resulting from their lack of personal space and time. 2. Ethel Stanwood Bolton and Eva Johnston Coe, American Samplers (New York: Dover Publications, 1973), p. 273.