In the latest edition of Plumage-TX Magazine, Gallery Director, Gabriel Diego Delgado writes about his personal experience with artists of the Naive genre with an in-depth analysis of the Texas artist, F.L. "Doc" Spellmon.
This can be read in the Winter 2015 edition here:
Insight
of the Outside
By: Gabriel Diego
Delgado
I bought my first major art purchases and paintings a few
months after graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. A Fine Art Studio major and colleague
persuaded me to join him (Jon Read) and another friend (Tex Kerschen) to visit
the studio of Rev. Albert Wagner. It was
with Wagner’s work that I would begin my exploration into “Outsider” or “Naïve
Art”. Wagner was one of those art
community figures who existed outside the norm of traditional fine art
practices; someone you would hear stories about. Thrown into the naïve “Outsider Artist” genre,
Wagner was a self-taught artist and self-proclaimed preacher with a church in
his basement who lived on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. We were making a holy trek to see his work,
in what has been described by those covering the economic development of
Cleveland as a signature crack neighborhood, undoubtedly in one of Forbes most
financially miserable cities. I was
unfamiliar with his legacy and was curious to see why his persona had such an
impact on a trusted art associate. The
story goes that he was a fanatical womanizer and heavy drinker, who in
preparation for his fiftieth birthday was in his basement cleaning when paint
splatters on the floorboards began speaking to him. It was the voice of God telling him he needed
to change his life and turn to God and preach. From that day on, he painted holy relics of
the gospel and conducted informal church sermons in the basement. As a prolific artist he was able to create
well over 3,000 works of art within his lifetime; most of the sales of his work
while he was still alive were undocumented (like
mine) where he took cash on the spot and sold the works off the walls of
his home. After his death in 2006 at 82,
his children held an auction and sold over 800 works of art.
Upon arriving at Wagner’s studio we were greeted by a person,
whether friend, colleague, family member or caretaker was not apparent. We were told that the Reverend was still
sleeping, but we could look around if we wanted. When we went upstairs to the second floor, we
saw the artist. Still woozy from a late afternoon nap, he was still reclining
in his bed when he invited us into his room to share his art. Stacks of
paintings were amassed on the floor around his bed, some littered on the
peripherals of his sheets. On that cold
and windy Ohio day I took home with me two small religious paintings of the baby
Jesus and the Holy Mother. After meeting
the artist, seeing the house full of his vision, the way he lived his life, you
could not help but be impressed and acknowledge you were in the presence of
someone living on a higher plane than yourself.
As my professional art career took many turns and twists at
several art institutions, I would go onto meet other ‘outsider’ artists who
would have an impact on my outlook of this genre. Jesse Lott, a Houston based African American
artist who called the 5th Ward home, shared a studio with me in the
early 2000’s, or I shared it with him. I
felt his magic, his artistic mojo, his Rastafarian energy. Lott is credited as one of the founding
members of the Project Row Houses in Houston’s 3rd Ward. Lott was/ is the mystical godfather of the
African American Art community from the 1960’s to today. Texas Evangelical Forrest Price with his
political statements and divine teachings showed me how to make art filled with
hope, despair, redemption, guilt, gratitude, salvation and other worldly
repentances. Price strived to live his
life in a way that complimented the Dead Sea Scrolls. An artist beyond description, his gentle demeanor
allowed him to serve the Lord in his own way but still maintain an aura of
artistic importance in the collective Houston art community.
When I recently saw the artwork of F.L. Doc Spellmon, I knew
I found my next “Outsider Art” interest.
For the exhibition “Texas Vintage”
at J.R. Mooney Galleries of Boerne, we were able to curate in three paintings
by Spellmon in order to help recognize his importance in the African American
art community of San Antonio during the 1950’s – 1970’s. A pioneer of African American “Outsider Art”,
Spellmon’s vision included historical documentations about slavery atrocities,
battles concerning the Buffalo Soldiers, aspects of everyday life, gin
distilleries, African cultures, religion and everything in between. Through the
renowned collector of Texas vintage art, Johnny Wright from Fredericksburg,
Texas, I was fortunate to witness a wonderful array of over 40 original Doc Spellmon
paintings. Wright had purchased a large
estate of his work directly from the artist before he died. Wright was offering the gallery an opportunity
to share with our clients some of this wonderful collection. I immediately knew we needed to have more of
his selections in the gallery for our patrons to experience. After selecting about 18 more paintings with
the considerations of Art Consultant, Katherine Shevchenko, the decision was
made to bring in a body of work as sort of an appendage to the exhibition; work
that would be available for consultation and reference the importance of his
career in the “Outsider” genre.
As we
began to document his artwork for the exhibition catalog, we also began to
document the backs of the paintings along with the front image. The backs of
canvases, serving platters, boards, discarded wood other devices held an almost
biographical anthology. Spellmon would
make his own art and exhibition labels and affix them to the backs of the art.
You could see labels showcasing the various organizations and businesses he
founded like the “Black Art Studio” LTD and “Art By DOC”. Others included side jobs where he was
immersed in the arts community bringing collectors and patrons to art studios
and organizations like the Carver Community Center with labels like, “Art Tours
by Appointment” and “Art You Can Identify With”. His comical side would emerge with stickers on
his hangers, which read: “Guaranteed Lifetime Hanger”. This was often placed on a crooked piece of
recycled wood or particle board that was affixed to the back of the painting by
way of nails, staples and glue with an offset and non-centered wire
hanger. In 1977 Mayor Lila Cockrell
declared F.L. Doc Spellmon Texas
Emissary of the Muses and gave him his own City of San Antonio sponsored
Proclamation. In Spellmon’s own way of
artistic genius and merit he photocopied that proclamation in various sizes and
affixed this document to the back of his paintings after August 24, 1977. So from a historical context we can now see
from the back of the paintings when they were roughly created, by way of which
stickers were affixed to the backing. Always
accompanying most paintings was a large self-portrait sticker with what would
be considered a business profile head shot complete with a small two paragraph
bio of him with the highest merit of quotes referencing him back to Jackson
Pollock, Grandma Moses and others. Often
considered an “Outsider Artist” due to his visual and playful, and mistakenly, naive
imagery, Spellmon actually acquired four degrees in his lifetime including a Masters
in the Arts and taught painting and drawing at Lackland Airforce Base in San
Antonio. A prolific artist as well, Bill
Banks and Andrea Marshall in the biography: F.L. Spellmon “The Life and Works
of an African American Artist”, published by Banks Fine Art, LLC, mentioned
he participated in over 19 exhibitions from 1986 – 1989.
Within the appendix selection of paintings, four pieces
stand out as ones that need further mention and spotlight: a painting sketch
titled “Bath Time” measuring 8” x 10”
and it’s formalized larger complete work “Bath
Time” measuring 15” x 13”; two paintings from the Buffalo Soldiers series
including “Getting Away” and “Two Iron Men: Black Seminole Indian
Collection”.
The “Bath Time”
series can be categorized into his autobiographical series of artworks. They harken back to the times of slavery or
post-Civil War with aspects of the everyday life of freed slaves. A pictorial assimilation of the heavyset house
slave who took care of the slave children, “Bath Time” is a childlike
illustration of two children in a washtub being hovered over and scrubbed by an
African American woman in a red headscarf and blouse covered by a white apron. We see a shantytown shack structure in the
background complete with paper-collaged flowers in the final larger painting. Both give credit to the matriarchal role in
African American culture as well as the rudimental outdoor plumbing that
existed in this time era. In today’s
contemporary art world reference, the children’s faces remind me of the neon
body sculptures by American artist, Bruce Nauman. I half expect the children to be animated and
start poking each other in the eye or move their heads in a mechanized jaunt of
angular rotations. Addressing the
overall physical entity of the actual painting, both paintings have deliberately
painted outer frames and course overlays of thick paint, marker, ink, and other
mixed media to give a layered concoction of visual pleasure. Yes we see the
children, the mother and the house, but what we need to do is take time to
ingest all the underpainting; the layers we can see only by bubbled protrusions
under the final composition. To first see
the ‘Bath’ paint sketch and compare it to the final painting, we can begin to
dissect the artist’s intentions, his decisions and formulations to make one of his
many pieces.
Historically, the paintings in the “Buffalo Soldiers” series
of artwork are comprised of documented events. In “Getting Away”, a smaller 13” x 17”
painting, we see a Buffalo Soldier on horseback, facing backward, shooting at
what looks like Native Americans. However,
contextually within the Buffalo Soldier’s legacy, we know the Buffalo Soldiers
were one of the only regiments that were able to sustain the harsh conditions
of desert fighting and chase the famous war chief, Geronimo, through
Arizona. This could be the famous
Geronimo and his soldiers engulfed in a shoot-out and daring escape from the 10th
regiment. “Two Iron Men: Black Seminole Indians Collection” on the other hand
portrays the Black Seminole scouts, in some cases runaway and freed slaves, who
initially joined the Seminole Indian camps in Florida and were asked to enlist
in the Army and fight in the Texas-Indian Wars, where they had documented
engagements with Comanche, Kiowa, Apaches
and Kickapoos, attached to and fighting alongside the
Buffalo Soldier regiments. The title can
refer to the weaponry, particularly the sword and saber, or the tenacity of
these men.
In conclusion, “Outsider Art” should not be dismissed,
ignored or deemed irrelevant. In most
cases, these artists exist on the peripherals of today’s society. However, a few, like Price, Lott and Spellmon
have become intrinsically important to the civic makeup of their respective art
communities. Their artworks drive an importance that allows their legacy to
continue, influencing future generations of artists, collectors, and
appreciators. The outsider has now
become the insight-er, revealing aspects of our collective cultures in a fresh
light. Maybe we are the ones looking in
from the outside and they are the ones in their own profound earthbound
nirvana.
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