HELEN LAFRANCE/ AUTUMNAL LANDSCAPE/ SOUTHERN FOLK ART

This landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of colour. The serenity that this painting encapsulates with the nature itself, reflects the living synthesis of no people and place vital to local and national identity. The imagery of being alone with a thought amidst the amber and golden leaves. The sky is clear and the hills are rolling in the distance. There are not too many clouds and the token birds fly in formation up above. Landscapes, their character and quality, help define the self image of a region, its sense of place that differentiates it from other regions. It is the dynamic backdrop to people's lives. This landscape is seen through the beautiful and the contrast of the umbers and blues validate the beauty in the painting. Helen LaFrance is a self- taught black artist who was born in 1919 Western Kentucky. Her specialty is memory paintings of the disappearing lifestyle of the rural South, although she has painted religious themes and floral studies, usually in oil on convas. She has painted since she was a small child, always following her mother's wisdom to "paint what you know." Not limited to two-dimensional media, she used to carve wooden animal sculptures and dolls and made wonderful quilts in addition to her memory paintings. LaFrance's work is held in many private collections, including Bryant Gumble and contemporary artist Red Grooms, and museums throughout the United States. She is featured in a chapter of Kathy Moses' definitive regference book, "Outsider Art of the South", published by Schiffer Ltd. This painting is also featured on page 102 of "Helen LaFrance: Folk Art Memories" by Kathy Moses with Bruce Shelton; with over 200 photos, it is also available through Shelton Gallery for $45 shipped.