BUFORD, GA.- Folk art may occupy a niche in the world of auctions, yet the genre is as expansive as one of the galaxies discovered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Self-taught art has enjoyed many periods of prominence, during which endless numbers of makers have emerged. This compelling art seems to be enjoying yet another comeback as collectors look to expressions that convey genuineness and even grace.
No one auction could completely cover its wide frontier, but Slotin Folk Art Auction’s Fall Self-Taught Art Masterpiece Sale presents a wide-ranging exploration of the folk art field’s early days running all the way up to today.

The 856-lot auction on November 12-13 is especially well-grounded in classics such as a silhouetted drawing of a dog by much-sought Alabama street artist Bill Traylor (1854-1949) and a memory painting of a fishing schooner on the Grand Banks by Marblehead, Mass., native John Orne Johnson (J.O.J.) Frost (1852-1928).

But there are also some 21st century jolts such as a geometric cut-out cardstock assemblage by artist Alan Wayne Bradley, who goes by name “Haint” and describes his work as “a family of circles having fun in a psycho-activated interdimensional parallel universe.”

“For this sale every fall, we always try to have a strong diversity of self-taught artists,” says Steve Slotin, a principal in the auction house with his wife Amy, “and this one is especially diverse.”

That doesn’t happen by accident. Having run Folk Fest, an annual art show drawing dealers, artists and collectors from across the country for 22 years, and conducted auctions for three decades and counting, Slotin Folk Art draws on long-term relationships to bring top-flight consignments to market.

For instance, this weekend’s auction includes works from the thoughtfully constructed collections of Lynne Browne, the longtime Atlanta arts patron who covered self-taught art for Folk Art Messenger magazine for many years, and Tom Patterson, author of books including “Howard Finster: Stranger From Another World” and “St. EOM in the Land of Pasaquan.” Whether it’s a familiar or new consigner, Steve Slotin is known for quickly trucking across state lines or across the country to secure blue-chip pieces when they become available.




The bluest of the blue chips in this weekend’s sale looks to be Bill Traylor’s undated “Black Dog” (graphite outline with black paint on cardstock, 13” w x 15” h), commanding the highest estimate at $50,000-$75,000. A larger, circa 1939 work depicting a woman hoisting an umbrella by the once-enslaved Montgomery, Alabama, artist was the leading lot of Slotin’s fall 2021 sale, bringing $182,500 (including buyer’s premium).

“We always expect a Bill Traylor to be the shining star of any folk art auction, but ‘Black Dog’ has got really good company in this sale,” Steve Slotin says.

Two large-scale examples by Sam Doyle, the painter who captured life in St. Helena, S.C., on found roofing tin, are also expected to be among the hottest lots. “Jackie Robinson” (27” w x 66” h), showing the Hall of Fame second-baseman reaching high to glove a ball, is estimated at $20,000-$30,000; while “Dr. Buz Ha Lo!” (circa 1983, 24.25” w x 54” h), a playful portrait of the island’s doctor holding a conch shell to his ear, is at $30,000-$40,000.

The Rev. Howard Finster, the prolific rural Northwest Georgia creator whose works are given prominent attention in the High Museum of Art’s permanent collection galleries in Atlanta and who is a Slotin bidder favorite, is well represented. The largest among his 21 lots, “Giant Elephant” (1995, paint and marker on board, 58” w x 47” h), also carries the highest estimate ($8,000-$12,000). But the 1985 painting “Into the Unknown” (tractor enamel on found RCA TV housing board, 16.5” w x 29” h), showing a road filled with colorfully gowned spirits ascending to heavenly clouds ($5,000-$10,000), should tempt enthusiasts of Finster’s spiritual imagery.

Slotin expects spirited bidding as well for a detailed drawing by Frank Jones, “Large Devil House” (red and blue colored pencil on paper, 24” w x 22.5” h). Jones drew the work in 1964 while serving a life sentence in the Texas State Penitentiary for a murder that he maintained he did not commit. Estimated at $10,000-$15,000, the lot includes a canceled check for all of $10.20 written to the artist for the purchase.

The auction also includes prime examples by African-American women artists who have done well at recent Slotin auctions, including Nellie Mae Rowe, Minnie Evans and Sister Gertrude Morgan. Bidding for Rowe’s three pieces should be animated, what with “Really Free: The Radical Art of Nellie Mae Rowe,” the retrospective of the Vinings, Georgia, artist, attracting national media attention at the Brooklyn Museum (through January 1, 2023). Rowe’s sumptuously colored “Yellow Girl” (Cray-Pas, graphite and marker on paper, 15” w x 20” h) carries the trio’s highest estimate at $15,000-$20,000.

On Sunday, highlights include a rich selection of memory paintings by artists such as Mattie Lou O’Kelley, Marie Keegan and Janet and Charles Munro; and apocalyptic paintings and constructions by Wisconsin artist Norbert Kox; as well as walking sticks, quilts and international art.