BlackTop

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Representative Works with Artist's comments in Italics. You may click on the pieces or the titles to contact the artist on our secure server.

A Day For Sinners Acrylics and Ink on Envelope 9" X4" $55.00	Moving Up Acrylics and Ink on Envelope 9" X 4" $55.00
Trot Enamel, Acrylics and Tar on wood panel 24" X 24" $395.00	Georgia Cotton 24”x24”  Tar, Acrylic, Enamel on wood panel   $465.00
Pickers 24”x24”  Tar, Acrylic, Enamel on wood panel   $465.00	Jubilee 24”x24”  Tar, Acrylic, Enamel on wood panel   $465.00
Cotton Pickin Acrylics on Cardboard 8.5" x 14" $75.00	Cotton Dance Acrylics on Cardboard 8.5" x 14" $75.00

Wonderful work by the extremely talented "Blacktop." Exhibiting a style all his own, this Alabama Native has an innate sense of space and an intuitive use of color that captures the attention of the viewer. A natural talent that we are proud to present to you here. 

Blacktop in his own words...

In my paintings, I love to express imagination and simplicity with images which will make you smile and remember. Rural southern scenes of old houses, churches, farm life, and baptisms are my favorite subjects. I have a passion for telling the stories of growing up in the south where the simple pleasures of life are important and cherished.

From  is a recent interview...

CS: “Blacktop” is a term more often associated with the backcountry paved roads of the rural South, not the moniker for an artist. Please tell us how this artist name developed for you.

Blacktop: I initially signed my work as Blacktop because it seemed that every job I have ever had I always commuted, and the one thing that I saw everyday was blacktop — lots of blacktop! But several years ago I started using tar in my paintings so the moniker truly fit.

CS: What is folk art?

Blacktop: I define folk art as art made by people who have had little or no formal training. Folk artists usually work with whatever materials and everyday objects they have available at the time. Some people may see my work as “outsider, primitive or naïve art” because it does not fit into the mainstream. It is a highly personal art. In my work, I try to relate to culture and experiences that I have had growing up in the South.

CS: The great Mose Tolliver comes to mind when describing your Southern folk art. Who and what are your artistic inspirations, and whose style would you compare your works with?

Blacktop: Mose Tolliver and Jimmy Lee Sudduth are two artists who have had the greatest impact on my work. What I have learned from them is that art is not as complex or as simple as it’s made out to be, but rather, it comes from your heart and soul, not from your mind. I am inspired by the people I have come in contact with growing up in the South. Every person, every event, every old home has stories to tell which are important. I just have a passion to tell those stories in my paintings. Some are fun and reflective stories, and some are stories and lessons that are not pleasant. However, they are all part of our history. Who would I compare my work to? That’s a tough question. I leave that for others to decide.

CS: It has been said among collectors of your works that you have, “undisputed originality.” We are aware of no one who approaches a painting with your style of applying black tar to plywood. Tell us how tar affects your works, during the creation and after completion. 

Blacktop: Adding the tar to my work has definitely made a difference. In the beginning, I tried many applications which I hoped would help me achieve the results I was looking for. Unfortunately, they didn’t. Once I added tar, it seemed to take on a completely new look. The tar gives the work more depth and texture. A couple of years ago I received an excited phone call from a gallery who was having a photographer take pictures of my work. The gallery owner said, “I just had to call you to let you know that when we were looking at your work through the camera lens, it almost looked like it was three dimensional.” Each time I start a painting I learn something new about the use of the tar. Most artists will use a pencil or charcoal to layout the painting. I draw directly into the tar, so when the mark is made there is no going back. The response to my work since I began using tar has been unbelievable. Most people just cannot believe that they are looking at a painting on tar. It’s fun to watch their faces when they realize “yep it’s on tar.”

CS: You say you are “self-taught.” Is that the distinction between folk art and fine art — the folk artist is self-taught and the fine artist is schooled in arts? Do you perceive a cultural divide between the two?

Blacktop: Absolutely there is a divide. For a long time “self-taught” artists have been kept out of the mainstream art community, but now they are standing on their own. Many people now see “self-taught art” as an important visual culture. 

CS: Many of your works depict vivid variations of the sky, all rich with color striations. This seems to have become a trademark of yours, as well as the use of rural shacks and houses. Describe the technique used to produce this effect in your skies.

Blacktop: Once the tar is laid down on the board and sealed, I apply the background. It is at this point that the first color is applied. If the painting is going to be a landscape, the sky is next. The technique I use is very simple and has been developed over time. The only secret that I will give away is that often I work with things wet.

CS: One of your paintings, “A Day of Giving,” was recently sold to a friend of Oprah Winfrey’s and given to Oprah as a gift. What can you tell us about this? This has the potential to be a major turning point in your career.

Blacktop: Yes that is true. A gentleman contacted me after visiting my Web site to inquire about purchasing the painting. I did not know until afterwards that he intended to present the painting to Ms. Winfrey. I can only hope that she liked the painting and will continue to enjoy it for many years.

CS: What have you experienced relative to the reactions you get for folk art in general and your art specifically?

Blacktop: Reactions are always very interesting. I get a lot of questions regarding my subject matter. Not that I am pushing the envelope, but I want people to remember where we’ve been and where we’re going. Growing up in the South, we’ve seen many struggles, and I think those are important stories that should not be forgotten. The overall reaction to my work has been extremely positive. People often tell me that my paintings remind them of places and events in their life. That being the case, my goal was achieved. I have always felt that there is a place in the painting where the spirit of the place meets the soul of the painter, and when the viewer sees and shares that place, that’s where art begins.

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