Call her a painter, a wood worker, a
lover of obscure blues music; Miz Thang
is all of these things. She honors those
obscure (and not-so-obscure) musicians
by recreating their images as whimsical
and colorful painted wood cutouts. Each
one is unique, vibrant, and fun—you can
almost hear the music of B.B. King,
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ma Rainey and
Captain Beefheart.
Miz Thang is a self taught folk artist
from Hawkinsville, GA. Labels are not
her thing but most folks want to know
just what type of art she creates so she
usually rattles off a long list of funky
names that include: outsider, raw,
rebel, folk, whohadada and contemporary,
just to name a few. Through her eyes she
sees things differently and she strives
to show others what she sees via her
art. She has been called weird and down
right crazy, all of which she takes as a
compliment because she does not want to
be normal. After all a normal person
couldn't create her art! Most of her
life she has been a collector of what
most call junk, but what she calls her
treasures. When she is not riding around
looking for more junk, she can be found
in her back yard turning her junk into
art. She is inspired by strong women,
musicians, and by people, animals and
events that have impacted her life.
All of her art is original. Her wooden
pieces are usually cut out of cabinet
grade birch and then sanded. She paints
with acrylic paint and sometimes she
coats her pieces with shellac. She
doesn't use brushes, but prefers to
paint exclusively with her fingers. When
her fingers are in the paint she feels
connected to her art and she feels she
is passing along some of her special
brand of mojo. She also uses objects she
finds and that others give to her. Most
of her art contains a message, sometimes
serious, sometimes funny, depending on
her mood.
Some of the works showcased on this
website are on display at museums, folk
art events, and are collected by many
people worldwide. Some of her creations
have been on display at shows, museums
and galleries throughout the USA and
abroad. Her art is on display at the
Smith Calloway Banks Southern Folk Art
collection and Research Center at
Georgia Southern University in
Statesboro, GA. Her blues art has been
on display at the Georgia Music Hall of
Fame in Macon, Georgia since 2004.
If you have someone special in your life
that you would like to honor with a work
of art, just let her know. She can work
from a photo to produce a custom,
personalized work of art and often adds
her rhyming mojo.
