Alfred Hair facts for kids

Alfred Warner Hair (1941-1970), also known as Freddy Hair, was an American painter from Fort Pierce, Florida. He was very important in starting the Florida Highwaymen art movement, along with Harold Newton. Hair was a leader of this group of many African American painters. They sold their bright, colorful landscape paintings from the trunks of their cars. They traveled along the eastern coastal roads of South Florida. In 2004, Alfred Hair was honored by being added to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Art Beginnings

Alfred Warner Hair was born on May 20, 1941, in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was one of seven children in his family. He finished school at Lincoln Park Academy in 1961. After high school, he went to community college for one year. But he soon left to focus on becoming an artist.

His high school art teacher, Zanobia Jefferson, noticed his great talent. She introduced him to a well-known Florida landscape artist, A. E. Backus. Backus encouraged young African American artists to paint beautiful landscapes. He suggested they paint scenes from nature instead of religious pictures. In 1956, when Hair was 14 years old, he started taking painting lessons from Backus.

Becoming a Professional Artist

After three years of lessons, Hair decided to earn a living as an artist on his own. During this time, there were unfair Jim Crow laws in Florida. These laws made it hard for African American artists to show their work in art galleries. So, Hair had to find other ways to sell his paintings. He followed the example of Backus's former student, Harold Newton. Hair sold his landscape paintings by going door-to-door from the trunk of his car.

Hair and Newton inspired a group of 26 other African American artists to do the same. Many artists looked up to Newton for his painting skills. But Hair was seen as the main leader and "catalyst" for the group. He helped set the direction for the Highwaymen throughout the 1960s. He brought together a group of "young, energetic" artists. They painted many bright and colorful landscapes in a style called impressionism.

Alfred Hair created many paintings at once. He even hired friends to drive along the highways, selling his artwork. They sold the paintings door-to-door for about $20 or $25 each. Other members of the Highwaymen group said that Hair had a big dream. He wanted his art to make him a millionaire by the time he was 35 years old. Sadly, Hair passed away in 1970 at the age of 29. After his death, the large number of paintings produced by the group started to slow down.

Painting Style

Alfred Hair did not follow strict rules for color theory. Instead, he used his feelings and instincts to paint many scenes. He often painted beaches, palm trees, and scenes from the Everglades. The artists didn't always use natural colors. They wanted to amaze buyers with bright orange Florida skies or unusually glowing clouds.

Hair often worked on many canvases at the same time. A visual arts professor, Gary Monroe, described his method. Hair would put up 20 boards outdoors at once. Then, he would quickly add color without making sketches first. He would move from board to board, painting parts of the sky, a tree, or another detail very fast. His paintings were known for being spontaneous, having bold colors, and showing palm trees, ocean waves, sand, and amazing skies. Mr. Monroe wrote that painting fast was important for Hair's art. He would "throw paint" onto his boards. This created images that showed the feeling of being alive.

Hair signed his original paintings "A. Hair." Some paintings from 1966 and 1967 were signed "Freddy." His wife later explained that the "Freddy" paintings were a team effort. She painted the backgrounds, and Hair added all the detailed parts.

Personal Life

Alfred Hair was married to Doretha Hair (who later became Doretha Truesdell). They had five children together. On August 9, 1970, Alfred Hair died during a disagreement.