Butch Anthony
Alabama
Folk Artist
Butch
Anthony
Unassuming, slow
talking and shy, Butch
Anthony
is a remarkable character, even in remote, unincorporated Seale,
Alabama where he lives with his wife Libby in a log cabin he built himself. In his mid 30s,
a crop of unruly, blond hair tops Anthony's 6' 1" lanky frame.
In true country fashion, he wears faded overalls and heavy brogans
everyday, no matter where he goes. He considers himself a Jack-of-all-trades, especially skilled
in carpentry, but his real passion is for making art.
Butch has been drawing
since the late 1970's, but his interest in painting did not surface
until the winter of 1994. He began by depicting local people who
live in the countryside around him, wanting to preserve some of
their proverbial sayings and bits of homespun wisdom. On a cardboard
box, one of his early paintings was of E.M. Johnson's round black
face with a toothless grin and the legend "They say I makes the
sunshine, but I really makes the moonshine."
Since then Butch has painted on
canvas, roofing tin and on boards. Many of his paintings depict
experiences from his own life or the lives of his friends and
family. More often he expresses a unique philosophy of life
as he sees it. His paintings comment on life, death, work, women,
and sometimes even money. He often spoofs our modern habits and practices
in a colorful, yet humorous way. While known for his paintings,
Butch also creates
large and small sculptures out of tin, wire, wood and cast off
items and has become famous for his whimsical "Pot Heads",
cleverly crafted from cast-off kitchen utensils. Some are merely
comical depiction, while others illustrate deep and profound facets
of his imagination and experience.
Anthony's work is collected internationally and has been
included in many public exhibitions such as "In Our Own
Backyard: The Folk Art and Expressions of the Chattahoochee Valley",
as well as the permanent collection of the Columbus Museum and
other art collections of American folk art. To learn more about
the artist and his work, contact:
RaZoo GaLLery
webmaster@razoogallery.com
back to
top