Podcast
House of Folk Art
Hosted by Matt Ledbetter · EN
Join Matt Ledbetter, esteemed auctioneer and folk art connoisseur hailing from Gibsonville, North Carolina, as he unveils the rich tapestry of Southern Folk Art. With personal ties to numerous folk artists through his renowned quarterly auctions, Matt brings you on a journey through the intricate history, the profound motivations, and the intimate encounters that shape the world of folk art.
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Episode 60 | Matt Shows Mike Smith the Rare Folk Art Leaving the Gallery
1w ago01:06:03Tap to summarizeThis episode starts with Mike returning to the table, where Matt has pulled together a group of rare folk art, pottery, baskets, quilts, and objects from the gallery before they ship out to new collections. Some of these pieces may not come back around for decades, so Matt wanted to get them on camera while they were still in the room.The conversation begins with Mike’s 35 years in the folk art world and his early trips through the Southeast visiting artists. From there, Matt and Mike dig into Billy Ray Hussey, including a red-glazed lion Matt calls one of the best pieces of contemporary Southern pottery he has ever seen, along with an early monumental lion from Hussey’s years around M.L. Owens and Jugtown.The table keeps changing as more pieces come out: rare stamped North Carolina copper measures, a Chester Webster salt-glazed jug, a small-bottom dirt dish, Charles Moore pottery, a double-sided Charlie Brown face jug, Benny Carter paintings and miniatures, Appalachian baskets, and an African American quilt found in Guilford County. Along the way, Matt talks about why serious collectors often are not sellers, and why some pieces disappear into private collections for a very long time.Mike also brings a few treasures of his own, including hand-built circus wagons and a major James Harold Jennings piece. The episode closes with Matt showing Mike two alligator walking sticks that appear to be by the same unknown maker, opening up the bigger question of how anonymous folk art discoveries can begin with just one matching piece.This is part auction preview, part collector conversation, and part folk art history lesson with one of the people who has spent decades chasing the artists, objects, and stories that make the field so alive.Chapters00:00 | $17 a Day and Chocolate Milk at the Bar03:51 | Mike Smith Returns to the House of Folk Art04:29 | Mike’s 35 Years in Folk Art06:39 | Meeting Billy Ray Hussey07:50 | The Billy Ray Hussey Lion10:37 | An Early Billy Ray Hussey Lion12:46 | Rare Pieces Before They Leave the Gallery14:00 | North Carolina Copper Measures17:08 | Chester Webster and a Small-Bottom Dirt Dish19:58 | Charles Moore Pottery23:11 | A Double-Sided Charlie Brown Face Jug25:49 | Folk Art, Special Talents, and the Chicken Joke27:12 | Benny Carter and Little New York32:09 | Appalachian Baskets and Miniature Baskets38:40 | A Guilford County African American Quilt42:04 | Mike Brings Circus Wagons49:52 | Remembering the Circus Coming to Town52:08 | James Harold Jennings57:07 | The Two Alligator Walking Sticks01:02:22 | How to Display Walking Sticks01:02:50 | Radcliffe Bailey and Classifying Art01:05:10 | Final Thoughts with Mike SmithDo you recognize one of these pieces, makers, or stories? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name, where you are from, and any information you have. You might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 59 | What Does a Real Folk Art Collector Collect?
3w ago01:02:24Tap to summarizeMatt and Sully are back at Ledbetter Auction Gallery in Gibsonville with a fresh stack from a 400-piece single-owner folk art collection that just came through the door.The collection had already been unboxed and was waiting to be photographed, but Matt had not fully gone through it yet. So instead of picking their own favorites from around the gallery, Matt and Sully grab a random stack of about 40 pieces and start digging in with fresh eyes.This episode is a look at what a real folk art collector collects: the known names, the lesser-known artists, the pieces that need more research, and the kind of work that only starts to make sense once you slow down and really look at it.The stack starts with a carved Calvin Cooper dog, then moves into work by Po Phil, Levent Isik, Alpha Andrews, Kaye Simmons, Sam Ezell, Bob Newell, Richard Burnside, John Burgess, Myrtice West, Aretha Hardy, Albert Wagner, Purvis Young, Willie White, and more.There are auction estimates, artist stories, a few mystery signatures, and plenty of moments where the guys have to admit they do not know everything yet. That is part of the point. This is what it looks like when a collection arrives, the research starts, and the pieces begin to tell you where they came from.Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:Chapters00:00 | Welcome Back to House of Folk Art with Matt and Sully02:42 | First Up: The Wood Carved Dalmatian04:20 | Matt’s First Pick from the Stack06:00 | Sully Learns About Levent Isik07:40 | Mixed Media in a Frame08:26 | Reminiscent of Bernice Sims09:15 | Matt’s Favorite Piece So Far10:07 | Sam Ezell Shows Up in the Art Pile11:25 | Mail Pouch Chew12:14 | Richard Burnside from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina14:04 | Key West Folk Art16:26 | An Incredible Memory Painting of Quilt Making18:04 | Myrtice West, Self-Taught Visionary Artist20:43 | Gold Framed Folk Art?22:15 | Animals & Angels23:25 | Albert Wagner26:08 | Folk Style, But…26:55 | An Early Sam Ezell27:42 | Purvis Young and Goodbread Alley31:58 | Folk Art Framed in PVC Pipe32:59 | A Series of Folk Paintings34:08 | A.B. the Flag Man, Don’t Forget It40:17 | Folk Art from a Coal Miner42:59 | The Art of Willie White46:20 | Alpha Andrews on Mixed Paper48:19 | James Bland Folk Art Face49:58 | Back to Myrtice West51:47 | Grilling Is Pleasing53:31 | Butch Anthony Face Pan55:25 | Back to A.B. the Flag Man57:52 | One More Time with Levent Isik01:00:57 | A Good Day at the Auction Galleryhouseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 58 | Matt and Kyle Get Back to Folk Art
Jun 801:08:28Tap to summarizeMatt and Kyle are back at the Auction Gallery in Gibsonville after a run of antique shows. Liberty and Fishersville were fun, but this episode gets back to the roots of House of Folk Art: self-taught art, pottery, carvings, and the stories behind the pieces.Matt and Kyle pull work from around the gallery and talk through what makes each piece worth slowing down for. The episode starts with Sam Ezell, a North Carolina artist and picker whose work has become a major focus at the auction house, including a large group of pieces coming up in a future sale.From there, the conversation moves into Denzil Goodpaster, a bear carving, and Matt’s ongoing argument about the difference between craft and art. The crew also digs into a Charles Simmons wood carved jug, the connection to Raymond Coins, and why some important North Carolina artists are still only known by a small circle of collectors. Matt talks through why a piece may not bring enough at auction, but can still be exactly the kind of thing he wants to keep. There is also pottery from Marvin Bailey and Ellen Martin, including the story of the first Marvin Bailey piece that really pulled Matt into contemporary face jugs. The episode closes with a few pieces coming up for auction, including a tramp art box, plus a quick reminder for first-time bidders ahead of the June 11 auction.Bid in the June 11 Folk Art & Americana Auction:https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/419094_folk-art-and-americana-auction/Chapters00:00 | Back at the Auction House in Gibsonville03:11 | Sam Ezell, Self-Taught Art, and Large Scale12:42 | Denzil Goodpaster’s Bear Carving22:00 | First Look at House of Folk Art Merch24:10 | Charles Simmons and the Wood Carved Jug34:34 | Matt’s First Marvin Bailey Piece47:19 | Ellen Martin’s Lion and North Carolina Pottery56:44 | A Huge Baseball Carving Hits the Table01:00:34 | Auction Preview: Tramp Art Box01:08:00 | A Good Day Back at Ledbetter Auction GalleryDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 57 | Van Side at Fishersville Antique Expo
May 2500:24:10Tap to summarizeFishersville was a great show this year. Friday was packed from the start, dealers were moving material early, and by Saturday morning Matt was already back at the van digging through the pile of things that he’s taking back home.Matt pulls out a few of the buys from Fishersville and talks through them while the show is still happening around him: carved walking sticks, tramp art, Clyde Herman carvings, a dancing figure, a whirligig that nearly flies apart in the wind, and one folk art cane that immediately turns into a full blown appraisal session.There is also an ongoing challenge throughout the episode to find somebody at Fishersville who actually knows who Benny Carter is. Matt signs a copy of the Benny Carter book in the van and walks the show trying to give it away to the right person.This is only part of the Fishersville trip. We still have more videos coming from the field, including a full day of buying around the show with Amanda’s Mercantile.After Fishersville, everything heads back to the auction house alongside the Liberty finds. The plan now is to unload it all, photograph everything, and start getting pieces ready for upcoming auctions at Ledbetter Folk Art Auctions.Chapters00:00 | Back at Fishersville Antique Expo00:20 | Friday Was a Madhouse00:55 | Signing the Benny Carter Book02:04 | The Nude Grandma Whirligig03:01 | Clyde Herman Carvings and Walking Sticks04:09 | The Five Dollar Owl05:00 | The Best Cane at Fishersville08:05 | Learning to Buy Tramp Art11:02 | Non Buyer’s Remorse13:21 | Breaking Down the Dancing Figure16:05 | Looking for Someone Who Knows Benny Carter17:37 | The Folk Art Reading Lamp17:49 | Walking the Show with the Whirligig18:56 | Does nobody Know Benny Carter??23:27 | Giving the Book Away and Signing OffDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 56 | Liberty Buys, Fishersville Plans, and One Last Look at Benny Carter
May 1100:42:03Tap to summarizeMatt returns to the auction gallery after Liberty with the buys still sitting behind him and another show already on the calendar. This time, the conversation picks up in that brief window between antique shows, when the dust from one trip has barely settled and the next one is already starting to take shape.Liberty had the feeling of a final chapter, but not necessarily a dead end. After months of questions about what the last Liberty show would mean, Matt came away with a different impression. Dealers were still buying, still selling, and many were already talking about setting up again when the show moves into its next form. For Matt, the proof of the show was sitting right there in the room. He bought steadily, stayed late, and even kept working the field during pack up, coming home with pottery, baskets, canes, quilts, and a late day monkey jug that sends him into a full dealer’s breakdown.From there, the episode turns north toward Fishersville, Virginia. The Fishersville Antiques Expo sits in the Shenandoah Valley, and Matt talks through why that region changes the kind of material you expect to see. Virginia brings a different layer of age and history into the hunt, with early period furniture, painted blanket chests, blue decorated stoneware, baskets, folk art canes, and other forms that can reach back deeper than the material usually found at Southern shows. For Matt, Fishersville is not just another stop after Liberty. It is a different buying environment, with a different pace, a different geography, and the possibility of finding pieces that can still make the whole trip worth it.The episode also opens up the practical side of the antiques business. Matt talks about buying with the auction in mind, teaching his son how money moves through the trade, and why collecting and dealing are not always the same thing. Some pieces stay in the collection. Some pieces go straight back into the market. Others become part of the education that happens along the way. By the end of the Fishersville run, the plan is to bring everything back to Ledbetter Auctions, photograph it, list it, and let viewers see what the Liberty and Fishersville buys actually do once they hit the auction block.The final section shifts from the road back into the gallery, where Matt walks through the Benny Carter display arranged for a North Carolina Folk Art Society exhibit and book event. The room is filled with Carter’s birdhouses, New York City paintings, clocks, Noah’s Ark scenes, poem paintings, cutouts, and one remarkable Annie Moon doll made to look like Benny himself. Matt traces Carter’s development from early birdhouses to dense city scenes, from unfinished late paintings to self-made clocks, showing how one artist returned again and again to the same subjects while constantly reworking them.By the end, the episode becomes more than a recap. It is a look at the cycle that keeps this world moving: the show field, the auction house, the collector’s eye, the dealer’s risk, and the folk art that gives the whole thing a reason to keep going.Chapters00:00 | Back at the Auction Gallery Between Antique Shows04:01 | Previewing the Next Trip to Fishersville10:38 | Reflecting on the Last Day at Liberty14:19 | At 14, You Can Work at Subway or Be an Antique Dealer17:39 | Expectations for Fishersville25:49 | Who Was Benny Carter?28:55 | Walking Through the Benny Carter Exhibit37:27 | Benny Carter’s Origin Poem42:03 | Wrapping Up Before FishersvilleDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 55 | Riding Out to Liberty with Matt Ledbetter
Apr 2700:48:42Tap to summarizeMatt Ledbetter sits down before heading out to Liberty, North Carolina to set up Wade's tent for the last Liberty Antique show.Held twice a year in Randolph County, the Liberty Antiques Festival has long been one of the best known antique shows in the region. Dealers from more than 25 states set up across a large farm setting, with everything from pottery, furniture, and quilts to decoys, folk art, glass, and country Americana. The show has built its reputation around original antiques and collectibles rather than crafts or reproductions.For Matt and his family, Liberty has been a major part of life for years. In this episode, he looks back on some of the pieces he found there over the past decade, tells the stories behind them, and talks through why Liberty has meant so much to him as a dealer, picker, and collector. As setup day approaches, the conversation becomes a mix of memories, strategy, and anticipation for what might still turn up.Matt starts with one of his most memorable pottery finds, a Chester Webster school jug he spotted at a yard sale just outside the show grounds. From there, he moves through a group of past Liberty finds including a carved walking stick, a painted stand, a painted basket, Benny Carter paintings, and a Ward Brothers decoy, using each one to explain what caught his eye and why some things stay in the collection while others go back into the market.If you are interested in antiques, folk art, Southern pottery, or just want to hear how a longtime picker thinks before a big show, this episode gives a clear look at what Liberty means to the people who have spent years setting up, buying, and coming back every season.Chapters00:00 | Van Side Before the Final Liberty Antiques Festival02:53 | The Webster School Jug Story09:45 | A Walking Stick from Liberty11:39 | The Painted Stand and Basket15:39 | Benny Carter Paintings and Liberty Memories20:44 | A Ward Brothers Decoy and Learning New Categories26:31 | Should We Buy Every Decoy Tomorrow?30:53 | What Matt Hopes to Find at Liberty42:14 | Looking Ahead to Fishersville44:36 | Packing Up and Heading to Liberty45:25 | Picking Up Ethan and Driving to Set Up46:38 | Arriving at Liberty and Finding the Webster Jug Yard Sale47:50 | Wrapping the Day Before the ShowDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.Next week, we’ll release the full Liberty walkthrough, showing the setup, the hunt, and what turns up once the show gets going.
Transcribe →Episode 54 | What Matt Bought at the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival
Apr 1300:38:28Tap to summarizeMatt Ledbetter and Kyle sit down with a table full of pieces from the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival and break down what they picked up over the weekend.Held once a year in Hickory, North Carolina, the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival brings together over a hundred working potters alongside a small group of dealers specializing in historic Catawba Valley pottery. It is one of the few places where you can walk booth to booth, meet the artists directly, and see both contemporary work and pieces rooted in a tradition that goes back generations.Matt talks through how the weekend actually plays out. The Friday night preview, the rush when doors open, and how fast things move when collectors are lined up for specific makers. From there, they bring a group of pieces to the table and walk through what they picked up. Face jugs, monkey jugs, and functional forms all come into the conversation, along with what to look for in Catawba Valley pottery. Alkaline glaze, form, and firing methods all start to separate stronger pieces from the rest.If you are interested in Southern pottery, collecting, or just want to understand why people travel for this show every year, this episode gives a clear look at what makes the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival stand out.Chapters00:00 | Recapping the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival00:06:33 | What They Look for in Catawba Valley Pottery00:10:48 | Why This Is an Important Pottery Show00:12:36 | First Look at Matt’s Stacey Lambert Pieces00:15:32 | The Steve Abee Monkey Jug00:19:23 | Meeting Marvin Bailey00:24:17 | Supporting Living Potters00:31:00 | What Makes a Piece Worth Buying00:36:30 | Final Thoughts on the FestivalDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410-8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.Next week, we’ll release the full walkthrough from the floor, showing how these pieces were found and bought in real time.
Transcribe →Episode 53 | 10 Picks Inside a 15,000 Sq Ft Folk Art Warehouse
Mar 3001:04:08Tap to summarizeIn this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter and Kyle walk through the newly expanded Ledbetter warehouse and put it to use right away. With over 15,000 square feet of material to dig through, they each pick out five pieces and bring them back to the table to break down what they are seeing, what stands out, and why certain objects hold more weight than others.The episode starts inside the warehouse, moving through shelves, stacks, and walls of material as they search for pieces that feel like real folk art. There is no category restriction. Carvings, metalwork, furniture, and overlooked objects are all on the table. What matters is instinct. What catches your eye, what holds up when you look closer, and what actually feels like it came from the hand of the maker.Once the picks are laid out, the conversation shifts into how collectors think. Matt and Kyle get into the difference between craft and folk art, how repetition and time factor into that line, and why certain pieces that might get passed over at first glance start to reveal something deeper. A small chair made from cut Coca Cola cans turns into a longer discussion about unknown makers, production, and how entire bodies of work can exist just under the surface without much documentation.Throughout the episode, the focus stays on the objects themselves. How they were made, where they might have come from, and how you start to recognize patterns across collections. There is also a look at how pieces from the same maker can surface over time, and how one labeled example can help connect a much larger group of work.In the back half, the episode opens up beyond the table with additional pieces and context pulled from the warehouse, including a few surprises that extend the conversation beyond the original ten picks. There is also rare footage of Carl Otto Long worked into the episode, adding another layer to the discussion around makers, documentation, and how these artists are remembered.If you are interested in how collectors actually look at objects, how taste develops over time, and what it feels like to sort through a warehouse full of material, this episode gives a clear look at that process.Chapters00:00 | Inside the New 15,000 Sq Ft Warehouse00:01:45 | First Pick: The Coke Can Chair00:07:30 | The Maker, Repetition, and the Collection00:12:30 | When Craft Becomes Folk Art00:15:42 | The Carl Otto Story00:20:00 | Looking at the Next Picks00:28:00 | What Makes Something Stand Out00:36:00 | When Pieces Start Connecting00:44:36 | One Object Doesn’t Make Sense Alone00:52:00 | Expanding the Collection00:59:45 | Final Pieces and Closing ThoughtsDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410 8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 52 | Are Quilts Folk Art? Collecting Antique American Quilts with Laura Saville
Mar 1601:34:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter sits down with longtime friend and antique dealer Laura Saville for a full conversation on antique American quilts, how to look at them, how to date them, and why more collectors are starting to take them seriously as both historical objects and pieces of art.Laura talks about falling headfirst into quilts over the last several months, studying fabrics, construction, and textile history, and learning how quilts connect to antique clothing, regional taste, and daily life in America. Matt brings in the picking side of it too, explaining how common quilts once were in Southern households, how they were stored, and why dealers used to bring stacks of them back from house calls and auctions.Together, Matt and Laura get into the practical side of collecting. They talk about mothball smell and why it does not always mean a textile is ruined, how long quilts actually take to make, the difference between quilts and coverlets, early whole cloth examples, hand stitching versus machine stitching, crazy quilts, Victorian era patterns, Gee’s Bend, what makes one quilt worth sixty dollars and another worth thousands, and how personal taste shapes what collectors chase.In the back half of the episode, the conversation opens up into a warehouse walkthrough as Matt and Laura start pulling and discussing many different quilts in person. They look at fabric, stitching, pattern names, dating clues, collector categories, African American quilt interest, Double Wedding Ring quilts, and the kind of instinct that starts to develop when you’ve handled enough material. The episode ends with practical advice on how to choose a quilt when you are standing at a show and trying to decide what is actually worth buying.If you are curious about quilts as folk art, textile history, or the real world of buying antique quilts, this is one of the most useful episodes House of Folk Art has done on the subject.Chapters00:00 | Laura’s Deep Dive Into Quilts01:15 | Dating Quilts Through Clothing and Fabric02:13 | How Many Quilts Were in a Household03:00 | Trunks, Attics, and How Quilts Survived05:30 | Mothballs and Getting the Smell Out05:47 | How Long Does It Take to Make a Quilt06:33 | Were Quilts in Early America08:30 | Coverlets, Whole Cloth Quilts, and Early Textiles11:05 | Hand Stitching vs Machine Stitching12:40 | What Makes a Good Country Quilt13:30 | Crazy Quilts and the Victorian Era15:00 | Quilts Inside Quilts and Picking Stories16:40 | Where All Those Quilts Ended Up17:00 | Quilt Racks and How They Were Used17:55 | Gee’s Bend and Quilts Entering the Art World20:40 | Why Quilts Read Like Art at Auction22:30 | What Makes One Quilt Worth More Than Another24:20 | Colonial Revival Quilts and 1930s Patterns25:30 | New York Beauty and Reading Old Fabric26:30 | Utilitarian Quilts vs Decorative Quilts27:30 | Learning Quilts as an Independent Researcher28:00 | What Should You Buy at an Antique Show38:00 | Moving Into the Warehouse Walkthrough52:00 | Looking at Quilts in Person1:05:00 | African American Quilt Collector Interest1:10:00 | Double Wedding Ring and Pattern Recognition1:20:49 | Deep Dive Into Collector Categories1:27:28 | Final Buying Advice for Quilt CollectorsLaura Saville is based in North Carolina and maintains a full time booth at The Antique Marketplace in Greensboro: 6428 Burnt Poplar RdGreensboro, NC 27409Laura’s main booth is the first booth to the left behind the counter.Laura also regularly sets up at regional antiques shows, including:Tarheel Antiques FestivalApril 10–11, 2026226 North Lloyd’s Dairy RdEfland, NC 27243Liberty Antique FestivalApril 24–25, 20262855 Pike Farm RdStaley, NC 27355Laura’s booth: M5Fishersville Antiques ExpoMay 8–9, 2026227 Expo RdFishersville, VA 22939Inside the first buildingDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410 8002Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, adventures, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →Episode 51 | Mary Proctor: Called to Paint
Mar 201:06:13Tap to summarizeIn January of 1994, Mary Proctor lost her grandmother, her uncle, and her aunt in a mobile home fire. The grandmother who raised her, the woman she called mama, was gone. The grief was overwhelming. For thirty days, Mary spent half of every day praying, sitting with her Bible, questioning God and asking why.On the final day, she says a light brighter than the sun appeared, and a voice spoke from within it. She was told to paint on an old door, and that the words would be given to her. In that moment, grief turned into direction. What began as prayer became purpose.Painting became her calling.From that first door forward, Mary’s work carried a message. Scripture, testimony, warnings, hope. Not just decoration, but instruction. Her art became a spiritual language, a way to awaken the soul, to remind people how to live, how to forgive, how to prepare, how to believe.She did not simply start painting. She stepped into a mission and became Missionary Mary. That moment marked the beginning of her life as an artist.In this episode of House of Folk Art, Matt Ledbetter travels to Florida to sit down with Mary Proctor, also known as Missionary Mary, to talk about the calling behind her work. They discuss her childhood, the meaning of her name, the influence of her grandmother, and how faith and memory became painted onto salvaged doors and found materials.Mary walks through specific works in her yard, including pieces that reference her baptism, scripture, and family history. The conversation moves between humor and testimony, art and belief, ending with the story of how loss became purpose and paint became ministry.CHAPTERS00:00 | We’re at Mary Proctor’s and We’re Not Leaving02:02 | Who Is Mary Proctor and Why She Paints06:33 | Taking Mary’s Work to Auction09:36 | Paint or Die12:01 | The Famous Painted Doors and Amazing Grace14:27 | Bird Man, Bird Omen, and Trusting God18:52 | Why Mary Doesn’t Paint Snakes22:13 | Let Grace Grow37:54 | God Loves Folk Art47:48 | Turning Pain Into Purpose01:02:09 | The Vision of Light and the First Painted DoorDo you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.houseoffolkart@gmail.com(919) 410 8002Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.
Transcribe →