Note Type
Antony Hayton, Exhibit DirectorNote
Roy McLendon (1932-2024)
Savanna Firesky
Oil On Upson Board Circa 1967
Image Size 24" X 48"
Roy McLendon watched Harold Newton, his neighbor, as he painted in Gifford, Florida, sometime in the mid-50s. Mr Mclendon, who'd painted as a child, decided to take the plunge and try his hand at painting. He was used to hard work, having traveled as a child with his family as an itinerant agricultural worker. They would travel as far as Minnesota picking beans. Painting seemed an easier way to earn a living. Once Mr McLendon picked up the brush and palette knife, he continued to paint until close to his passing. He painted with Alfred Hair, Livingston Roberts, and James Gibson in the early days. They became the first members of the Highwaymen artists group, followed shortly by the Daniels brothers, Mary Ann Carroll, Hezekiah Baker, Sam Newton, and the Buckner brothers. These artists, along with Harold Newton, formed the group's core. Al Black was also heavily involved, though he wasn't painting then, but served as the salesman for Hair and many other artists.
Firesky" paintings were bread-and-butter works for the Highwaymen. They were popular and sold quickly; the various artists offered "Fireskies" in their unique styles, painting from memory; each was different. This scene, which featured a tall solitary pine tree, some feeding egrets, and marshland, was one that Mr McLendon frequently painted. This painting is an example of his best artistry: "sofa sized" 2' X 4' on old Upson board, capturing the awe-inspiring majesty of Florida's backcountry. The Highwaymen's agenda was creating and selling art, but in the process, they established a gift of beauty, highlighting and capturing Florida's endangered landscapes. Their work represents Florida as it once was, evoking a sense of something now seemingly lost in time. They have become chroniclers of Florida's vanishing natural beauty.