Matt sits down with collector Mike Smith for a closer look at the work of S.L. Jones, using several carved heads and drawings from Matt’s collection alongside Mike’s firsthand memories of visiting Jones at his home in West Virginia.
Mike met S.L. Jones late in his career and was able to spend time with him, photograph him, and document some of those visits on video. Matt and Mike compare early and late carvings, look at the similarities between Jones’ carved faces and drawings, break down the unusual stamped signatures found on some of his heads, and talk about the life-sized figures and carved bluegrass bands he made earlier in his career.
Along the way, Mike talks about what it was like traveling around the Southeast in the 1990s to meet folk artists while they were still working. He explains why visiting artists in person added another layer to collecting their work and shares what he remembers from making the trip to see S.L. Jones.
The episode ends with something Mike has held onto for decades: video from one of his visits with S.L. Jones. In the footage, Jones talks about carving as a child, drawing in school, retiring from the railroad, and eventually getting into carving in a much bigger way.
Chapters
00:00 | Mike Smith Met S.L. Jones
01:26 | S.L. Jones Carved Heads and Signatures
02:50 | Life-Size Carvings, the Band and His Drawings
07:56 | The Problem with Collecting Folk Art
12:37 | Stories from Visiting Folk Artists in the 1990s
20:45 | Photographing Folk Artists
25:25 | Mike’s Visits with S.L. Jones
27:51 | S.L. Jones in Books and Old Photographs
29:47 | Collecting S.L. Jones
33:30 | How Many S.L. Jones Heads Are Out There?
35:01 | Mike’s 1990s Video of S.L. Jones
39:41 | S.L. Jones Crucifixes and Later Work
42:10 | The Carved Band and Comparing His Faces
44:15 | Why S.L. Jones Heads Are Hard to Find
45:19 | House of Folk Art Keeps Going
Mike Smith is still active in the folk art world as a collector and dealer through Mike’s at Home Gallery. Follow Mike on Facebook to see more from his collection, available folk art, and pieces he comes across:
https://www.facebook.com/MichaelESmith72/
Do you have a folk art collection, unusual antique, old photographs or video of an artist, or something tucked away that deserves a closer look? Reach out and tell us what you have:
houseoffolkart@gmail.com
(919) 410-8002
Leave your name, where you are from, and any information you have about the item, artist, or collection. You might hear from us or see your story featured in a future episode.
Follow @houseoffolkart for more folk art stories, artist visits, collection deep dives, and new episodes, and find upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.