Episode 59 | What Does a Real Folk Art Collector Collect?

Matt and Sully are back at Ledbetter Auction Gallery in Gibsonville with a fresh stack from a 400-piece single-owner folk art collection that just came through the door.The collection had already been unboxed and was waiting to be photographed, but Matt had not fully gone through it yet. So instead of picking their own favorites from around the gallery, Matt and Sully grab a random stack of about 40 pieces and start digging in with fresh eyes.This episode is a look at what a real folk art collector collects: the known names, the lesser-known artists, the pieces that need more research, and the kind of work that only starts to make sense once you slow down and really look at it.The stack starts with a carved Calvin Cooper dog, then moves into work by Po Phil, Levent Isik, Alpha Andrews, Kaye Simmons, Sam Ezell, Bob Newell, Richard Burnside, John Burgess, Myrtice West, Aretha Hardy, Albert Wagner, Purvis Young, Willie White, and more.There are auction estimates, artist stories, a few mystery signatures, and plenty of moments where the guys have to admit they do not know everything yet. That is part of the point. This is what it looks like when a collection arrives, the research starts, and the pieces begin to tell you where they came from.Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:Chapters00:00 | Welcome Back to House of Folk Art with Matt and Sully02:42 | First Up: The Wood Carved Dalmatian04:20 | Matt’s First Pick from the Stack06:00 | Sully Learns About Levent Isik07:40 | Mixed Media in a Frame08:26 | Reminiscent of Bernice Sims09:15 | Matt’s Favorite Piece So Far10:07 | Sam Ezell Shows Up in the Art Pile11:25 | Mail Pouch Chew12:14 | Richard Burnside from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina14:04 | Key West Folk Art16:26 | An Incredible Memory Painting of Quilt Making18:04 | Myrtice West, Self-Taught Visionary Artist20:43 | Gold Framed Folk Art?22:15 | Animals & Angels23:25 | Albert Wagner26:08 | Folk Style, But…26:55 | An Early Sam Ezell27:42 | Purvis Young and Goodbread Alley31:58 | Folk Art Framed in PVC Pipe32:59 | A Series of Folk Paintings34:08 | A.B. the Flag Man, Don’t Forget It40:17 | Folk Art from a Coal Miner42:59 | The Art of Willie White46:20 | Alpha Andrews on Mixed Paper48:19 | James Bland Folk Art Face49:58 | Back to Myrtice West51:47 | Grilling Is Pleasing53:31 | Butch Anthony Face Pan55:25 | Back to A.B. the Flag Man57:52 | One More Time with Levent Isik01:00:57 | A Good Day at the Auction [email protected](919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.