Minnie Adkins (Kentucky, b. 1934), Large Horse Critter

Polychrome painted wood, ink signed and dated 2000 under the feet.

17 1/2 x 42 1/2 x 5 in.

Purchased in 2001 from Clayton Galleries, Tampa

Hailing from eastern Kentucky, Minnie is the matriarch of Kentucky woodcarvers. She started carving her whimsical animals and Biblical characters as a young woman and initially met with little success. In fact, her neighbors would make fun of her critters and tell her she needed to go to art lessons. Minnie persisted, and now enjoys renown as a carver throughout a region rich in the woodcarving tradition.

Her carvings are part of The Smithsonian Institution’s collections, as well as The Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD. She has organized a folk art show in Morehead, KY to help other aspiring artists become better known, and the Folk Art Museum in Morehead adopted one of her designs as the logo.

Artist biography courtesy of American Folk Art Museum

Crack and repair to one hind leg and tail, possibly as made.