Lacey Beno “The Canvas of a Sharecropper”
Woodie Long was described as one of the last true contemporary folk artists. He was raised on a strawberry sharecrop farm with eleven brothers and sisters. Long never experienced a day of formal education, and didn’t learn to read or write until his mid40’s. His art is now recognized around the world and his depiction of life on a farm and visits to the “big city” are boldly yet innocently depicted. This is a story of his life, written in the spring of 2009. Long struggled with health problems and lost his battle to cancer in October 12, 2009, just weeks before his 67th birthday.
The Canvas of a Sharecropper His career as a folk artist began humbly and reached recognition beyond his imagination. Woodrow Wilson (Woodie) Long’s passion for painting has overshadowed his lack of academic training and revealed a past full of memories from the angle of a poor sharecropper. Long may be one of the last true living contemporary folk artists of his time. Long has produced paintings at a breathtaking pace for years- a thousand or so per year. Now, with graying hair, Long is slowing down. On an average weekday, Long sits in the gallery just yards from his house in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Scenes from his childhood memories surround him: people picking cotton, women hanging clothes out to dry, horses plowing fields, funerals. In the midst of these vibrant paintings are some from Long’s adult life: New York City with tall buildings and taxis, bicycles nearly riding on top of one another in the Tour de France, New Orleans jazz bands swaying with their music. No matter the size of the painting or type of frame around it, every edge is touched by Long’s brush. Just outside of his gallery and behind his house is a garden where Long and his wife, Dot, grow flowers and much of their food. They moved to the Florida Panhandle in the early 1990s. “This is paradise,” Long said, “We love it here. Been coming here since ‘88” Paradise may be the place where Long retires, as he has already begun to scale back on his paintings.
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"New York City" acrylic on paper in black frame 17.25" x 23" Marcia Weber / Art Objects, Inc. All photography is by Marcia Weber who reserves copyright, unless noted otherwise
Life before Art Long was born October 19, 1942, in Plant City, Florida. Son of a strawberry sharecropper and one of 11 children, Long never had a formal education because he began working in the fields at a young age. His father abandoned his family in the latest of a series of makeshift homes in Tampa when he was a teenager. Long began to work as a commercial house painter. Long applied for a government job where he was contracted to paint in Saudi Arabia in 1979. While painting various buildings, airplanes, even a mosque and a palace, he coincidentally met another American (Dot) at the U.S.O. Club where Americans went to socialize. Originally from Philadelphia, Dot and her four sisters were traveling with 3
their father who worked for the Corps of Engineers and was assigned to build a dam in Saudi Arabia. Women were expected to have male escorts wherever they went in Saudi Arabia and, to his delight, the responsibility soon fell to Long. They became fast friends and fell in love, exploring the world on their free time: backpacking in other countries such as Afghanistan and Thailand. When he and Dot returned to the states, they married and bought a house in Andalusia, Alabama, struggling to make ends meet. “We grew our own food, called it possum living,” Long said. “We lived by what we could.” Walls and houses were again Long’s canvas. He remembers creating scenes from his childhood on walls that he would immediately repaint. He would then sandblast and cover them with a solid coat of paint to the satisfaction of the owner, leaving no trace of his initial work.
Selling to Stars In 1987, Long experienced lung ailments due to his occupation as a house painter. To his dismay, doctors told Long to stop painting. Shortly after, he received a letter from his daughter Jennifer in Tampa, asking for some family history. Since Long could neither read nor write, he was distraught over his inability to reply to her. Long said he was “itching to paint” a house that day, and he found some of Dot’s old paints and brushes from a community art class. He resorted to acrylic paints and paper to describe his story. Six paintings later, Dot found her husband’s finished work drying on the porch. She immediately praised his paintings, and they decided to send them to Jennifer along with a calling card so that she could call Long and have him tell her the stories that he animated. 4
Long’s family encouraged him to paint more and he soon had a small collection. Hoping some would fetch a price at a community outdoor art sale, Long set up a display of his work. The first painting he sold opened up new doors for him to continue his favorite activity.
"Mulberry Bush" acrylic on paper in black frame 23" x 35" Marcia Weber / Art Objects, Inc. All photography is by Marcia Weber who reserves copyright, unless noted otherwise
“I sold my first painting for $5,” Long said, “It was an 8-by-8 of a woman drying clothes.” When the son of the lucky buyer came back ten years later to get his picture signed, Long recognized it immediately. “I offered to buy it back from him and double his money, but he wouldn’t let me!” said Long. 5
Long has kept a small collection of his early pieces in a trunk. “I have the first three (paintings) I ever did.” Longs career blossomed as local shops and galleries in Seaside Beach, Florida, caught on to his talent as a folk artist. His simple work somehow inspires honesty while evoking a sense of energy. Perhaps the combination of the vibrant colors and care-free lines create a satisfying feeling. Perhaps knowledge of his background increases the respect for this selftaught artist. Whatever the reason, it has gained the attention of more than locals. “I sell work to stars,” Long said, “Helen Hunt, Jonny Cash, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey… Margaret Spellings bought one with a school bus full of kids from me.” A success story, especially one from a man of humble beginnings, has never failed to invoke interest and awe in Americans. Long has helped each of his brothers and sisters purchase a house. He is quick to donate paintings or buy them from fellow folk artists who may be struggling. It is his generous spirit and confidence in his creations that defines his true achievement. Ironically, Long received a phone call a few years ago, regarding a painting job. “He asked how much I charge by the hour (to paint),” Long said, “I said, ‘Oh, about $100,000.” When the uninformed caller connected Long’s price with his name he replied, “Oh! You’re that artist. I thought you sounded familiar.” These stories amuse Long and he retells them with light-hearted humor. “The Lord has been good to me;” Long said, “I’ve been really lucky.”
A Piece of Woodie
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Long has recently designed a special logo to accent birth certificates for the state of Alabama. “Alabama has been real good to me,” he said, “They paid me good money for my angel design.” Marcia Weber, long-time friend, gallery owner and folk art critic, features Long’s art and sets up exhibitions for him around the country. She describes Long as “one of the darlings of the folk art world.” Weber has full confidence in Long and his art because it is truly genuine and his experience is rare. He has a limited understanding of reading and writing, but understands family and compassion. His art paints pictures we don’t get to see. “Woodie is one of the last true, living contemporary folk artists who grew up without any exposure to art and is in no way an academically trained artist,” she said. Weber explained how people are drawn to Long’s art even more when they meet him. He seems to everyone the same and the people who walk away with a piece of his art walk away with a piece of Long’s rare story in their hands and in their memory. Though his health may fade, Woodie Long’s art will not. He has preserved a delicate sensitivity even through tough times of living as a migrant farmer without a day of formal education. This is his past. This is his fascinating story. In the words of Marcia Webber, “This is Woodie!”
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1) Long, Woodrow Wilson (Woodie). Interviewed in person on: 3/21/09. 1066 Bay Drive (Hwy #283 N), Santa Rosa Beach, FL., 32549. Gallery phone: 850-321-9961 E-mail: dotlong@embarqmail.com 2) Weber, Marcia. Interviewed by phone and E-mail on: 4/20/09. 1050 Woodley Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36106. Phone: 334-220-5349 E-mail: weberart@mindspring.com 3) Weber, Marcia. “Woodie Long” Biography and Photos from Marcia Weber Art Objects Website: www.marciaweberartobjects.com/long.html
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