In The Devil House

September 19, 2011 1:46 PM

A summer day, a dirt road, heat thick as steam from a boiling pot. Along the shoulder are verdant trees, shadows, the hum and croak and whistle and buzz of the woods. This is Clarksville, Texas, 1910. And here is Frank Jones, who will one day, decades from now, years after his death, be among the most recognized African-American self-taught artists.

The complex colored-pencil line drawings of Frank Jones, are the brilliantly creative by-product of a troubled life.

posted by zamboni (4 comments total)

These are gorgeous.
posted by feckless at 3:03 PM on September 19, 2011

Great stuff and well worth a close look (don't forget to click on the images for the enlarged view).
How odd that the cute little guys in the rooms are actually evil spirits ("haints"...what an excellent word...Neil Gaiman should do something with that).
On an irreverent note, did anyone else wish someone would base a level of "Angry Birds" on this?

Okay, I don't have much to say...I just want zamboni to know that the small number of comments doesn't mean this post went unappreciated.
posted by uosuaq at 6:01 PM on September 19, 2011

What is it about "Clarksville" and African American talent?
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:30 PM on September 19, 2011

er...Clarksdale and Clarksville are two different words, aren't they? It only took me less than 24 hours to figure that out.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:08 PM on September 20, 2011