By Jere Hough Meteorologist / Feature Reporter
Published: Mon, November 05, 2007 - 4:30 pm
Last Updated: Wed, November 07, 2007 - 1:54 pm
Last Updated: Wed, November 07, 2007 - 1:54 pm
Jere Hough
He sold his first painting when he was in seventh grade...a teacher commissioned it and paid him $35.
He survived financially for years as a "Highwayman."
Butler explains, "We painted our work and then went out on the street and sold them...that's where the term 'highwaymen' comes from. We went all over the State of Florida and sold our works for $15, $20...whatever we could get."
He has lived in Florida most of his life, and views his work as documentation...to preserve in paintings Florida's disappearing beauty.
"I was going to paint the world that I lived in, and put it on record for others to see it."
He says that was also the mission of his two favorite artists...Norman Rockwell and James Audubon.
His latest effort at documentation is a series of paintings featuring the heritage of May Bell Gary; a Mobile woman of African and Choctaw ancestry. He wants to underscore the fact that virtually every U.S. citizen has a diverse background.
"When you see an American, who are you looking at? What is their background?" he asks. "They come from all over the world. They have all kinds of different cultural backgrounds. And this is an effort to consolidate that."
Each of us is an American Original he believes.
May Bell's son, Silas Gary, has guided this ambitious project. The paintings are on display in Monroeville.
Incidentally, Robert Butler has nine children who reflect their heritage...each is a professional artist!
The Heritage Paintings are on display through February at the Old Courthouse Museum in Monroeville. For information about Museum hours and admission, call (251) 575-7433.
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