Editor’s note: Due to a technical error, the publication date on this article is wrong. It was actually published in the summer of 2002.

MOULTRIE — Folk art made a resurgence in the mid-1980s, and is coming to Moultrie again this month.

The works of O.L. Samuels will be on exhibit at the Colquitt County Arts Center from Monday, Aug. 12, through Sept. 27. A gallery opening reception is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Samuels is a self-taught artist, carving unusual creatures from pieces of wood that he finds along roadsides.

Born in Wilcox County, Samuels claims to have left home at 8 years old. He traveled from place to place, working on farms and for the railroad. His journey took him to Florida and then to New York, where he boxed professionally and worked at odd jobs.

In 1960, after his boxing contract ended, a trip brought Samuels to Moultrie, and he decided to stay.

It was here that his work was discovered.

Samuels began carving after an accident that left him confined to a wheelchair for three years. His first piece was carved from a two-by-four.

“First it looked like a duck, then a goose, then a deer,” Samuels remembered. “I put horns on it, then cut them off.”

When he finished, the piece was a mule’s head so he made a body and legs for it.

“It was the ugliest thing I ever saw,” he laughed.

Samuels continued to carve various pieces, including animals, race cars, and images from his dreams. His daughter took some of those pieces to school, and her teacher, Becky Beard, was impressed. Beard contacted her friend Jane Simpson at the Colquitt County Arts Center.

At the same time, Simpson’s husband owned a convenience store that Samuels visited and had been encouraging him to take some of his carvings to the Arts Center.

Simpson encouraged Samuels and helped to promote his work. His first carving was entered into a community art show at the Arts Center, and won first place.

“I tried to borrow $50 from her (Simpson),” recalled Samuels. “She said ‘Why don’t you sell some of this stuff?'”

“His house was full of stuff that he’d carved,” added Simpson. “It was everywhere.”

He said that Simpson later sold his first piece for $700.

Samuels’ work is now collected by people throughout the United States and other countries.

He admits that, at first, he was scared to show his carvings to people.

“I didn’t want people to laugh,” he explained.

No one is laughing now, as some of his pieces sell for more than $10,000.

Samuels left his carving plain or varnished in the beginning, but has since begun adding color with paint and glitter.

“I put a heap of color so something will match up,” said the color-blind artist.

Samuels, who has suffered two strokes, two heart attacks, two broken legs and feet in addition to the accident that left him in a wheelchair for three years, said that his work keeps him alive.

“I try to stay alive long enough to see how this piece turns out,” he said.



To contact reporter Jennifer Terry, please call 985-4545 ext. 224