Product Description

Can you imagine being an artist who isn’t allowed into your own show? That’s what happened to folk artist Clementine Hunter. Her paintings went from hanging on her clothesline to hanging in museums, yet because of the color of her skin, a friend had to sneak her in when the gallery was closed.

With lyrical writing and striking illustrations, this picture book biography introduces kids to a self-taught artist whose paintings captured scenes of backbreaking work and joyous celebrations of southern farm life. They preserve a part of American history we rarely see and prove that art can help keep the spirit alive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #632128 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780399242199
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Although there was a difference in their life spans of about 25 years, Clementine Hunter (1886/1887–1988) and Grandma Moses (1860–1961) had much in common. Neither had any formal art training, both started painting in midlife, both used a folk-art style derived from their individual roots, and both lived long and fruitful lives finding personal passion in their art. Hunter, who today enjoys a modest reputation and whose work is sold in galleries and hung in museums, never received the acclamation that Moses achieved. Whitehead and Evans present an effective vehicle to introduce children to the work of this remarkable Southern black woman. Whitehead's lyrical text speaks of Hunter's perseverance and talent as well as of the simplicity, love of nature, and caring of friends and family that informed her work. Evans bolsters Whitehead's words with bold mixed-media illustrations that portray Hunter in hard times and in good. He often focuses on her hands and face, bringing strength and vitality to the pictures. In one especially poignant image, he depicts the artist standing alone before her pictures at an exhibition after hours: she was forbidden to enter the gallery with other visitors because of her race. Pair this picture-book biography with one about Grandma Moses, perhaps Alexandra Wallner's Grandma Moses (Holiday House, 2004) or W. Nikola-Lisa's The Year with Grandma Moses (Holt, 2000), to present inspiring stories of two outstanding American women artists. Eleven small reproductions of Hunter's works are appended.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
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From Booklist
In the 1950s, segregation laws denied artist Clementine Hunter admission to the gallery that exhibited her work. Throughout her life, she overcame prejudice, poverty, and hard times to create beautiful folk art that is now celebrated across the country. The words and images in this moving picture-book biography show that Hunter was not stopped by self-pity, and she did not wait for the perfect time to paint. She had no canvas, so she made art with whatever she could find––window shades, glass bottles, old boards––and Evans’ full-page paintings with bright collage and black line evoke Hunter’s hard work on the plantation, and happy times, too, including weddings and baptisms; and they show her creating beautiful, glowing art in the dim kerosene light, as she draws on her memories of her long life. A final author’s note that fills in more of Hunter’s story, and features small reproductions of her work, will leave readers wanting to turn back for another look. Grades 4-7. --Hazel Rochman

Review
Whitehead's lyrical text speaks of Hunter's perseverance and talent as well as of the simplicity, love of nature, and caring of friends and family that informed her work. -- School Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
Clementine Hunter, one of America's most famous self-taught artists and the first African American woman to display her work in the New Orleans Museum of Art, did not begin to paint until she was in her fifties. With little interest as a young girl in going to school, she had worked most of her life as a paid agricultural laborer on Melrose Plantation, picking cotton, gathering pecans, and doing domestic work.

Because Melrose attracted numerous artists-in-residence, Clementine was able to use left-over or donated art supplies to start painting. With her extraordinary artistic talent and ability to tell stories of plantation life through pictures, Clementine gradually started to show her art pieces in galleries and sell her work for increasing values. Sadly, the country's segregation laws prevented her from attending her own gallery exhibits during business hours, and she had to wait until after hours to see her work on display.

Art from her Heart is a superb book that gives younger readers the opportunity to learn about Clementine Hunter's important contributions to folk art and the obstacles she faced as an African American woman artist. Closely integrated into the story are important economics lessons related to farm work, human resources, and discrimination. The stunning illustrations and art-piece reproductions add a powerful dimension with which the reader can more fully appreciate Clementine's story and her talent.

GREAT DISCOVERY
Because I read this story I have come to know Clementine Hunter
and my life is richer for the experience. What an inspiration!
This should be mandatory reading for every artist, young or old.