The photos below are the last photos I took at Earl Simmons' Art Shop in Bovina. They were taken on April 21, 2012. The photo above was taken in March 2011 and is one of my favorites. His place burned down on Saturday and is an awful loss to the folk art community of Mississippi.
These are cypress planks that Earl said he was going to use for some future artwork
Everytime I went into Earl's home, the challenge for me was to get photos of the interior without using a flash. This was nearly an impossible task, since a vast majority of the home was without electrical power and only natural light through the windows was available. But I loved trying and these are a few of the shots I captured in April.
These two shots are from the bar area of the home, a vast two-story room.
If you wanted to buy a piece of Earl's art, you had to climb to the second story of the home and his artwork was displayed in a rack near a small balcony, which provided the only light to view the artwork.
This doorway could be seen above you as you climbed the stairs to the second floor.
This is Earl.
Earl loves painting Coke art and this sign was at the entrance to the home.
Earl collected almost anything he could turn into a piece of art and his porch was filled with such items that would eventually be brought to life by his wonderful imagination.
Lesley Silver of the Attic Gallery is leading a fundraising effort for Earl. Help if you can.
