Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Jennings, James Harold |
Other names |
Red Jennings; James Harold |
Dates & places of birth and death |
Born in 1931 in Pinnacle, North Carolina Died in 1999 in Pinnacle, North Carolina |
Nationality |
American |
Notes |
Downhill from his boyhood home in rural North Carolina sat an environmental assemblage of brightly painted ferris wheels, whirligigs, rows of Indians, Amazon women, angels, turtles, birds, squirrels and imaginary creatures, all rattling in the wind. He said that his work was inspired by religion, but not the traditional type. Rather, his inspirations came from experiences with “astral projection and metempsychosis.” After his mother's death in 1974, Jennings chose an ascetic lifestyle with no electricity, running water or a telephone in order to better tap into his creativity. In the last ten years of his life Jennings created the vast majority of his pieces (images of animals and birds) with a simple carving knife and house paint. Despite only having school instruction through fifth grade, Jennings' work has been appreciated in various museums such as the American Visionary Art Museum. In the last few years of his life, Jennings lived alone in a school bus in North Carolina. |
Places of residence |
Pinnacle, North Carolina |
Role |
Artist |
Education |
self-taught |
