Southern Folk Artist

News & Reviews

Blacktop's work has been featured in the following magazines and newspapers.

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November 2008

Article by Mark R. Watters

Artist reflects on rural life

08/30/07 *Special to the Rome News-Tribune* Noted Rome folk artist Blacktop will be the guest speaker at Rome Art Coterie’s first meeting of the 2007-2008 season on Sept. 11. Rome resident and Alabama native “Blacktop” is a self-taught folk artist who began his art as a way to share the visions and dreams he has experienced growing up in the South. He has been painting for most of his life using watercolors, enamels and acrylics. The majority of his paintings start with a base of black tar on wood, cardboard or sandpaper, on which he adds color. Blacktop got his curious name from the process. His paintings have stories to tell that reflect the abstract rural South. He is attracting attention in folk art circles as an emerging Southern folk artist to collect. “In my paintings, I love to express imagination and simplicity with images which will make you smile and remember,” Blacktop said of his work. “Rural Southern scenes of old houses, churches, farm life and baptisms are my favorite subjects. I have a passion for telling the stories of growing up in the South where the simple pleasures of life are important and cherished.” Recently the subject of a “Southern Living” magazine interview and upcoming feature article, Blacktop’s prominence is growing. His reputation and work are gaining in popularity throughout the region. Earlier this year one of his paintings, “A Day of Giving,” was purchased by a friend of Oprah Winfrey’s and given to the iconic television personality as a gift. At Atlanta’s Slotin Folk Fest and other folk art shows across the country his paintings continue to spark considerable interest. Blacktop’s work has been noted in “Raw Vision,” “Dining Out” and “NY Arts” magazines and in various newspapers. His paintings can also be found in galleries, businesses and many private collections around the country. His work is shown locally at Blacktop’s own gallery on Second Avenue and at the Cobblestone Shoppe on Second Avenue. Blacktop appears at the Rome Area Council for the Arts gallery on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in a special presentation sponsored by the Rome Art Coterie. Admission is free. To learn more about Blacktop, visit online at blacktopfolkart.com. For additional information about the Rome Art Coterie, visit romeartcoterie.org.

September/October 2006

Spring/Summer 2006

May 2006

Piedmont Review October 2006 Article

Article 3/20/05

Where the paintbrush meets the road

Rome artist finds unique canvas

03/18/05
By Severo Avila, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer
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Rome’s blossoming folk art scene has a new representative. And if folky, rural and whimsical are what you’re looking for, Ken Gentle’s the guy you want.

Going by the moniker “Blacktop” (all his pieces bear the signature), Gentle has carved out a niche for himself in Rome’s art community — a niche few even knew existed.

“I was looking for a way to add more texture and depth to my work,” Gentle said of his unique medium.

Through trial and error, Gentle discovered a “canvas” he now uses for all his paintings. He starts with a piece of plywood. Then, a thin layer of asphalt or tar is applied. Next, Gentle applies a layer of enamel to build up the background, and finally he paints with acrylics.

“At the time I came up with it I wasn’t aware of anyone else using that medium,” he said. “I’m sure there are probably some artists out there using similar methods, but I didn’t copy anyone. It’s just what works for me.”

Gentle grew up in Huntsville, Ala., and became interested in art, thanks to the prompting of a cousin who was an illustrator for NASA.

“I started out with basic water colors and moved on from there,” he said.

Taking an early retirement from the Hewlett Packard Co. in Kennesaw, Gentle and his wife moved to Rome eight years ago, and that’s when he started dedicating more time to art.

“I needed to do something, so I decided to start painting again,” he said. “I try to paint at least one piece a day. I’m not always able to do that, but on average I’ll complete about four pieces per week.”

Gentle’s unique pieces are dominated by one theme — the rural South.

“Growing up in the South, I certainly am proud of my southern heritage,” he said. “I’ve always been intrigued by the people who live here. Their accomplishments, endeavors and culture are amazing to me.”

But while rural life might have its hardships, Gentle said he prefers to bring out the more whimsical side to his subjects.

This is reflected in many of his pieces which depict, among other things, rural families, birds, cows, dogs and other subjects, while at the same time including an aspect of abstractness.

“I try not to make the paintings about a serious subject matter,” Gentle said. “Life’s too short to worry about all those things that are going on in the world. I try to take things people see every day and make them whimsical.”

About two years ago, Gentle adopted the nom du plume “Blacktop” and has used it ever since.

“I didn’t live close to work, so I was always on the road,” he said. “Every day I would be driving and there would just be this endless stretch of asphalt before me. It just fit.”

While it came after he initially started using asphalt in his paintings, Gentle says it all comes together.

“Blacktop” originals are on display in galleries across the country. The Rome Area Council for the Arts also has some pieces on display.

RACA director Allen Bell said Gentle contacted him and expressed interest in being displayed at RACA.

“I looked at his work online and thought it was very interesting,” he said. “We didn’t have anything like it in our gallery, so I decided to put some on exhibit. It’s hard to place his work as anything other than general folk art, just because there are so many terms floating around out there, but I’d say it’s both whimsical and nostalgic.”

So what’s in store for “Blacktop” and his art?

This is just something I really enjoy doing, and I hope it continues to grow and get better,” he said. “But most importantly, I hope people continue to enjoy it. While all the pieces are meant to be whimsical and light-hearted, they all have names and they all have a little story to tell.”

Article from Docs News (6/30/04) www.docsnew.com

“A new folk art winner—the real deal,” noted observers say.

The word “blacktop” is part of the region’s parlance, Southernese for those dark two-lane paved roads that meander through the mountains, valleys and coastal plains where most of us during our youth had our first experience at breaking the hundred mile an hour barrier with dad’s sedan. Blacktop, the man, is a truly talented folk artist who is riding the ascendant of a career that will, many predict, catapult him to fame and fortune.

Ken Gentle is on Blacktop’s Alabama birth certificate but few beyond his family call him anything other than his well-earned nom du plume now that he is painting prolifically and attracting attention all the while. Originally from Huntsville, Blacktop was introduced to art by a relative who did illustrations for NASA, but his real inspiration was from a fellow traveler, Montgomery, Alabama folk art legend Mose Tolliver. “From my first view of Tolliver’s paintings,” Blacktop said in a recent interview, “I saw things within me that were kin to these images. Some may think Mose Tolliver paints very simply, but if your soul and heart are touched as mine was, something complex is there that can only be truly shared through imagery.”

The masters of folk art share common spiritual ground and Blacktop’s native and adoptive states of Alabama and Georgia, respectively, are deeply steeped in the self-taught art traditon. Names like Myrtice West and Jim Lee Suddeth of Alabama and Georgia’s Howard Finster and Mattie Lou O’Kelley represent folk traditions in the finest form of originality and creativity. Blacktop is their kindred spirit and knows the basis of his artistic motivation. He is already a force in the folk art market and is really going to get hotter.

Each of Blacktop’s paintings begins with plywood that has black tar applied. After being coated with enamel, the actual painting is ready for Blacktop’s brush. The medium is acrylic and the results are startling. “The tar never completely dries, “ Blacktop explains. “The surface will change and shift causing movement of the painted images. There’s going to be a kind of life and the inevitable change that life promises embedded in each painting.” That, collectors maintain, is undisputed originality, something that is increasingly difficult to find in the homogenized festivals and craft shows posing as legitimate arts events.

Blacktop is accessible by telephone (706.235.5655) and by email (blacktop2@bellsouth.net), and he is personable, open and charming. Talking with him about his art creations and what drives him is as much fun as chatting with an old friend. Getting to know any artist prior to investing in their works adds to the overall enjoyment of display on that favorite wall. The pieces I own by Rev. Howard Finster, Olivia Thomason, Bettye Williams and Missionary Mary Proctor and many others make each day colorful and the evenings warm and comfortable because, apart from the majesty of their painted visions, I spent time with them and they told me things about themselves. Blacktop offers that kind of special intimacy that adds to the meaning of his valuable works.

Price, of course is a relevant consideration and Blacktop falls within the very reasonable category. I have seen faux art, mass-produced frauds at shows selling to unsuspecting buyers priced higher than Blacktop’s one-of-a-kind creations. His, of course, have worth, and will appreciate in value over the months and years. These considerations attract serious collectors as well as those who are just getting their feet wet.

Without hesitation, I recommend Blacktop as a quality person and self-taught artist to those who want to own paintings that are genuinely from the visions of a remarkably talented gentleman.