folkartwork

Untitled (“Last Supper #6”) (1986) // Enamel and collage on masonite; 24.5″ x 48″

via Ricco/Maresca Gallery

About William Hawkins:

One of my favorite artists, William Hawkins, signed nearly every one of his vibrant and boldly colored paintings with his name, William L. Hawkins. His birthday, July 27 1895. And birthplace, Union City, Kentucky. Along with this unique signature, each work is adorned with an elaborate border or frame since Hawkins couldn’t necessarily afford a frame of his own. Hawkins was completely self-taught and worked for the majority of his life with found materials like house paint and wood scraps from odd jobs he had throughout his life. He often hilariously quipped, “why would I need more than one brush when I could just wipe it off and dip it in another color?”

William Hawkins eventually ended up in Columbus, Ohio, where he burst onto the New York City art scene after winning first prize at the Ohio State Fair in 1980. For the next 8 years, he created the bulk of his oeuvre that you may come to know and love today, but the proud and confident artist had been collecting ideas, sketching, and painting throughout his life. He never really learned to read or write, but that didn’t stop this great artist from telling his stories.

See more works by William Hawkins

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