Country Band of FiveEarly 1970s5" high eachCarved, rouletted, and painted wood with pencilBlanchard-Hill Collection, gift of M. Anne Hill and Edward V. Blanchard, Jr.1998.10.69A-E01539332520Shields Landon JonesSculptureCopyright for this work is under review. HintonHintonUnited StatesWest VirginiaThree Dimensional WorksHintonMany rural communities have a hobby tradition of whittling, which is how Shields Landon Jones started carving. Jones took to the hobby of whittling and in a short time excelled as a wood-carver, expanding his abilities to render a figure, increasing his scale, and incorporating pencil, stain, and paint to further realize his sculptured visages.
Jones carved and drew what he knew; in his community, he was an accomplished fiddler, so musicians are a frequent motif for this West Virginia artist. This Country Band includes five musicians (one is a fiddler that may be a self-portrait), small in scale, which might indicate that this is an early work by the artist. Partially unpainted, these miniature figures throw a strong and effective emotional punch. Varied postures and a multitude of glances and gazes help individualize members of this band. The unpainted male figure appears caught up in the music-making of his colleagues leaning forward, looking upward, transfixed by the sounds. These various postures and stances reinforce the individuality of each figure, but the achieved scale and surface treatment nonetheless keep the figures united as a group.
Brooke Davis Anderson, "Country Band of Five," exhibition label for Folk Art Revealed. Stacy C. Hollander and Brooke Davis Anderson, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2004.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgSCULPTURE19701973 1998 10 69A E Many rural communities have a hobby tradition of whittling, which is how Shields Landon Jones started carving. Jones took to the hobby of whittling and in a short time excelled as a wood-carver, expanding his abilities to render a figure, increasing his scale, and incorporating pencil, stain, and paint to further realize his sculptured visages.
Jones carved and drew what he knew; in his community, he was an accomplished fiddler, so musicians are a frequent motif for this West Virginia artist. This Country Band includes five musicians (one is a fiddler that may be a self-portrait), small in scale, which might indicate that this is an early work by the artist. Partially unpainted, these miniature figures throw a strong and effective emotional punch. Varied postures and a multitude of glances and gazes help individualize members of this band. The unpainted male figure appears caught up in the music-making of his colleagues leaning forward, looking upward, transfixed by the sounds. These various postures and stances reinforce the individuality of each figure, but the achieved scale and surface treatment nonetheless keep the figures united as a group.
Brooke Davis Anderson, "Country Band of Five," exhibition label for Folk Art Revealed. Stacy C. Hollander and Brooke Davis Anderson, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2004.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgSCULPTURE