Ruth Russell Williams (NC, 1931-2010), Tending the Field

Oil on canvas, signed at lower right, presented in a giltwood frame.

Stretcher size 16 x 20 in.; Frame dimensions 24 x 28 in.

Being Sold to Benefit Charitable Purposes in Eastern North Carolina

Born in Vance County, Williams grew up in a close knit farming community. Her parents were sharecroppers and her memories of rural life populate her folk art paintings. Often compared to Grandma Moses, Williams too came to paint later in life. After walking out of an art class, she taught herself how to best tell stories through color and form on a canvas. One of her proudest moments was when her painting, "Outdoor Baptism", was featured on the front cover of a Smithsonian Magazine issue in 1993. She developed a devoted following for her work, selling originals and prints from a tent in her front yard in Henderson, North Carolina. In 2009 an exhibition featuring fifty of her original paintings, Ruth Russell Williams: Master Storyteller, was displayed at the NCCU Art Museum in Durham, North Carolina.

Very good condition.