Charles "Chico" Wheeler, American, born 1946 Search this
Medium:
oil paint on Masonite (TM)
Dimensions:
H x W x D (framed): 15 × 19 × 1 1/4 in. (38.1 × 48.3 × 3.2 cm)
Type:
oil paintings
Place made:
Fort Pierce, Saint Lucie County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
Date:
ca. 2010
Caption:
Chico Wheeler was a member of the Florida Highwaymen, a group of self-taught artists who worked in Florida starting in the 1950s. The Highwaymen leveraged their entrepreneurial spirit to create an independent artistic tradition during the era of segregation. The group was made up of twenty-five men and one woman. Their art provided an alternative livelihood to the regional agricultural and factory work. Wheeler also worked in citrus groves for supplemental income. He began painting in the 1960s after starting out as a frame maker for another Highwaymen, Alfred Hair.
The group created a great quantity of work, often dozens of paintings per day, which would be sold inexpensively. The paintings depict Florida landscapes and are renowned for their vibrant colors and serene scenes. Like other Highwaymen, Wheeler sold his paintings out of his car along roadways. This practice led Jim Finch, a Sebring Florida gallery owner, to name the group the “Highwaymen” in a 1995 essay, prompting a renewed public interest. In 2004, they were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.
Fort Pierce and the Florida Humanities Council. “The Highwaymen Trail.” 2012. https://thehighwaymentrail.com/bibliography/.
Description:
Oil painting of a Florida landscape showing an unidentified woman. The painting (a) has a dirt road in the center. The woman is walking down the path with a basket balanced on her head. She has one arm raised holding the basket. She is wearing a yellow dress and a red head scarf. On the right is a red Poinciana tree. There are palm trees and green vegetation on the far side of the road. The sky is primarily pink with a darker blue center to reflect a sunrise or sunset. The painting is signed in the bottom left. The reverse of the board has numerical inscriptions and paint splatter.
The wooden frame (b) is brown in color and made from repurposed construction materials. The reverse of the frame has a metal wire anchored with a screw eye on each side strung across the upper back. The painting is secured to the frame under protruding nails. The reverse of the frame has numerical inscriptions.
