Slow Art Sunday - Pippin

As Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, Slow Art Sunday brings you “Giving Thanks” by Horace Pippin, a self-taught, American folk artist.  Horace was born in 1888 and showed an aptitude for drawing at a very young age.

With no access to art supplies, he found scraps of paper and pieces of charcoal to express the pictures in he saw in his head.  Winning “real” art supplies in a children’s art contest encouraged him to start painting and experimenting more with his art.

Pippin went off to World War 1 and was unfortunately shot which took away most of the mobility in his dominant arm. He longed to get back to his art and, in his determination, eventually began to use his left arm to hold up his right allowing him to paint again.  Along with his own talent and self promotion, Pippin’s career began to take off when, in 1940, he met established artist Andrew Wyeth.

Horace Pippin is well known for his personal paintings with a moving story and “Giving Thanks” is no exception.  Take some time to enjoy all the details of this primitive work and together with your family, spend a few moments in thankfulness for all you have today.

Mr. Pippin once said, “pictures just come to my mind and I tell my heart to go ahead.” 

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