Down-home

When I think of folk art, two distinctly different things come to mind: A) the dream-catchers, John Wayne portraits and assorted kitsch sold at Cracker Barrels nationwide and B) the strange but wonderful paintings of the David Wark character in the movie Junebug (prepared for the film by Brooklyn artist...

By Noah W. Bailey

June 1, 2006

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When I think of folk art, two distinctly different things come to mind: A) the dream-catchers, John Wayne portraits and assorted kitsch sold at Cracker Barrels nationwide and B) the strange but wonderful paintings of the David Wark character in the movie Junebug (prepared for the film by Brooklyn artist Ann Wood), one of which featured Robert E. Lee's giant penis spraying bullets at Union soldiers—"I couldn't finish Lee's cock on the front so I put it on the back," he says in the film. Obviously there's a lot of middle ground between wicker baskets and a giant wiener weapon wielded by a dead Confederate general, but thankfully the art featured in the Webb Gallery's new exhibit, Eyes of Texas: Early Texas Folk Art, falls closer to the latter. Sure, the paintings in the exhibit may not be as dick-centric as Wark's, but they certainly recall the character's refreshingly homespun style and use of color. Eyes of Texas, featuring works by Jonnie Swearingen, Frank Jones, Chelo Amezcua and others, runs Saturdays and Sundays through July 16 at the Webb Gallery, 209 W. Franklin St. in Waxahachie. Gallery hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call 972-938-8085 or visit webbartgallery.com.
Saturdays, Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Starts: June 4. Continues through July 16

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