Skip to main content

Johnny Banks Art

American, 1912-1988

African American folk artist, John Willard Banks was a black self-taught artist. He was the son of Charlie and Cora Lee Banks and was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five, his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School. At the age of nine, his parents got divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks' favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the 10th grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years, he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II. he joined the army where he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war, he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928 and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963, he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks' wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists saw one of the drawings in the gallery. He telephoned Banks and arranged for a meeting to see his other works. The physician and his wife became friends with John and Earlie Banks and began to advise them on Banks's art career. Banks' first solo exhibition was held at Caroline Lee Gallery in San Antonio in 1984 when Banks was 72 years old. Subsequently, he had a dual exhibition with fellow Texas artist George White at Objects Gallery in San Antonio and was shown in the Southwest Ethnic Arts Society's inaugural exhibition of black artists in San Antonio, where he won a prize. He was included in two traveling exhibitions, “Handmade and Heartfelt” organized by Laguna Gloria Art Museum and Texas Folklife Resources in 1987 and “Rambling on My Mind: Black Folk Art of the Southwest” organized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Dallas in 1987. Also in 1987, he was included in a dual exhibition with fellow San Antonio artist John Coleman at the O'Connor Gallery in the McNamara House Museum, Victoria and in 1989 he was one of the six artists included in the traveling exhibition “Black History/Black Vision: The Visionary Image in Texas” organized by the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery at The University of Texas. Also in 1989, Banks was included in the exhibition “Innate Creativity: Five Black Texas Folk Artists” sponsored by the National Museum of African American History and Culture held at the Dallas Public Library. Banks developed a distinct style, outlining figures in pencil or ballpoint pen and shading them in with colored pencils, crayons and felt-tipped marker. Sometimes his art was influenced by his early, rural memories, including scenes of baptisms, church meetings, hog killings, funerals and Juneteenth celebrations. These works serve as excellent documents of black life in early twentieth-century Texas. At other times, Banks' work was the result of an inner vision that led him to such revelations as his Second Coming of Christ, in which he drew his view of the activities man might be found engaging if Christ should return today. Whether his subjects were religious or rural, they took place in lush landscapes, often with tree-lined rivers flowing through the composition. He did a series of African scenes drawn from his imagination, in which he depicted idyllic villages where communal activities took place. Often they included references to the bounty of nature and the virtue of working together toward a common goal. In other pictures, Banks told more somber stories, of slave auctions and inner-city ghetto scenes. Through the facial expressions and gestures of the figures, Banks revealed their psychological states and personalities. The book Folk Art In Texas has an extensive article written about Johnny Banks. When Banks died in San Antonio on April 14, 1988, he left behind several hundred drawings.

to
6
6
1
5
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
5
5
3
2
1
6
6
6
10,469
5,426
2,521
2,476
6
6
Artist: Johnny Banks
"African Village" San Antonio Texas Black Folk Artist Johnny Banks
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14 x 22 Frame Size: 21 x 29 Medium: mixed media Dated 1981 "African Village" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"Daddy Playing in the Mud" San Antonio Texas Black Folk Artist Johnny Banks
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 13.75 x 20 Frame Size: 20 x 27 Medium: Pen, Pencil, Crayon, Marker "Daddy Playing in the Mud" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"The First Time on Telephone" Black African American Folk Painting
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 11.25 x 20 Frame Size: 17 x 28 Medium: Pen, Pencil, Crayon, Marker "The First Time on Telephone" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"The Living Dead" San Antonio Texas Black Folk Artist Johnny Banks
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14 x 22 Frame Size: 21 x 29 Medium: mixed media "The Living Dead" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"The Safari Hunt for the Man Eating Tiger" San Antonio Texas Black Folk Artist
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14 x 22 Frame Size: 21 x 29 Medium: mixed media "The Safari Hunt for the Man Eating Tiger" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"Two Riding Through The Woods" Black Texas Folk Artist Johnny Banks African
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 10.5 x 13.5 Frame Size: 16.5 x 19 Medium: Pen, Pencil, Crayon, Marker "Two Riding Through The Woods" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

Related Items
Self Portrait (Colorful Faux-Naif Figurative Cityscape Oil Painting)
By Darshan Russell
Located in Hudson, NY
Colorful Faux Naive Style Cityscape Painting, Portrait of the Artist 'Self Portrait' painted by Darshan Russell in 1997 Oil on canvas, 21.5 x 24 inches framed with thin wood strippin...
Category

1990s Outsider Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Fight (Clementine Hunter Folk Art Painting, auth. by Tom Whitehead)
Located in New Orleans, LA
A truly unique and different Clementine, depicting something she often saw and sometimes portrayed (fistfights) but usually in the context of an exterior bar scene with multiple fighters (sometimes with guns or knives) -- not like this: a simplified, potent image that is the essence of much good folk art. In case you didn't see the Clementine Hunter paintings...
Category

1960s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Oil

"Abandoned by My Family in Chicago" Outsider Art in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Surreal depiction of a figure walking though a city by Marshall Woodall (American, b. 1958). The cityscape is represented in outlines only, creating the impression of being lit up in...
Category

2010s Outsider Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The Quantic Liap. Symbolic Acrylic paint Colorful Folk Art Landscape with figure
By Raquel Fariñas
Located in Segovia, ES
The Quantic Liap (El salto cuántico). Symbolic acrylic paint on panel Colorful Folk Art Landscape with figure. Dimension art cm.: (H) 70 x (W) 60 x (D) 6 cm. The pictures of Raquel...
Category

2010s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Acrylic, Mixed Media, Wood Panel

Ex-Voto, Retablo, Painting on Metal, Mexico , Prayer to St. George, Folk Art, Dog
Located in Houston, TX
This retablo was purchased by the gallery in Mexico City. I knew the family that sold this retablo to me. The writing says" Puebla 1940,. It is a prayer to St. George thanking him that his dog saved him from being attached from a snake. He is is thankful that his dog was not bitten by the snake. Bernardino Pantoja This ex-voto is in excellent condition. It is framed behind conservatorship glass. The framed size is 14" x 15". The class should only be cleaned with ammonia free cleaner. An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. Ex-votos are placed in a church or chapel where the worshiper seeks grace or wishes to give thanks. The destinations of pilgrimages often include shrines decorated with ex-votos. Ex-votos can take a wide variety of forms. They are not only intended for the helping figure, but also as a testimony to later visitors of the received help. As such they may include texts explaining a miracle attributed to the helper, or symbols such as a painted or modeled reproduction of a miraculously healed body part, or a directly related item such as a crutch given by a person formerly lame. There are places where a very old tradition of depositing ex-votos existed, such as Abydos in ancient Egypt. Especially in the Latin world, there is a tradition of votive paintings, typically depicting a dangerous incident which the offeror survived. The votive paintings of Mexico...
Category

1940s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Metal

"RMNP Trail Ridge Road, " Mixed Media Painting
By JC Spock
Located in Denver, CO
JC Spock is a mixed media artist who specializes in nostalgic art with a contemporary edge. Each painting incorporates multiple layers of acrylic paints, inks, pastels and vintage ep...
Category

2010s American Realist Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Another space is possible. Raquel Fariñas Symbolic Acrylic Folk Art Landscape
By Raquel Fariñas
Located in Segovia, ES
"Another space is possible". (Otro espacio es posible), Acrylic and mixed media on Wood panel, 59.5x45 cm. The pictures of Raquel Fariñas are presented...
Category

2010s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Fantastic Village Scene Modern Irish Magic Realism Oil Painting
By Philip Castle
Located in Surfside, FL
Philip Castle was an Irish Painter and husband to artist Barry Castle He is rarely exhibited. His detailed, meticulous work took a long time to complete...
Category

20th Century Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Party in the Woods
Located in Denver, CO
Micheal Ousley is a native of Appalachia, originally from the coalfields of Southeastern Kentucky. Having traveled all around the Western coal towns of Virginia, West Virginia and th...
Category

2010s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

High Plains Drifter
Located in Denver, CO
This is an unframed original painting on wood panel. Micheal Ousley is a native of Appalachia, originally from the coalfields of Southeastern Kentucky. Having traveled all around the Western coal towns of Virginia, West Virginia and the Blue Ridge as well, he has formed a deep connection to the mountains. “My father was a coal miner and many of my uncles and cousins worked in mining or farming. I tend to view my paintings as ballads for the rough living and hardscrabble existence found in the Central Appalachian Coal region. The Media has always jumped at the opportunity to show poverty and decay in the coalfields of Kentucky. I view my work as being built around a pathos and understanding of the downtrodden and discarded; a poetry for the underdog." Mike says, "I decided I wanted to take my painting back to the way I created images as a child, based on memory and simplified. My biggest inspiration is the visionary and Folk art of Kentucky and other Southern Folk artists. I spent a good deal of time in the Kentucky Folk...
Category

2010s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

Paluxy Creek
By Clara McDonald Williamson
Located in Dallas, TX
"Paluxy Creek was such a charming and pretty place in which both children and adults might fish, play, or pass the time of day, that Aunt Clara, with many warm memories of it, has ch...
Category

1950s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Oil

"Neighborhood Shivaree, " Fred E. Robertson, Grandma Moses, Self-Taught Landscape
Located in Larchmont, NY
Fred E. Robertson (1878 - 1953) Neighborhood Shivaree, 1945 Signed and dated lower left Oil on masonite 16 x 20 inches Exhibited: Buffalo, The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright A...
Category

1940s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Previously Available Items
"DANIEL IN THE LIONS DEN" BLACK TEXAS FOLK ART ARTIST JONNY BANKS
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 16 x 22 Frame Size: 23.5 x 28.5 Medium: Magic Marker, Crayola, Pen and Ink "Daniel In the Lion's Den" Biography Johnny Banks...
Category

20th Century Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Color Pencil

"COTTON FARM" BLACK TEXAS FOLK ART ARTIST JOHNNY BANKS
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14x22 Frame Size: 22x31 Medium: Magic Marker, Crayola, Pen and Ink "Cotton Farm" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Color Pencil

"International & Great Northern The Texas Railroad Depot" San Antonio Texas
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14 x 22 Frame Size: 22 x 29 Medium: Mixed: Crayon, Marker Pen & Ink "International & Great Northern...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

""Southern Pacific Railroad Depot" San Antonio Texas Black Texas Folk Artist
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 22 x 28 Frame Size: 28 x 34 Medium: Mixed: Crayon, Marker Pen & Ink" Southern Pacific Railroad...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"Mr. Kuni's Farm" Black Texas Folk Artist Johnny Banks African American
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14 x 22 Frame Size: 22 x 30 Medium: Mixed: Crayon, Marker Pen & Ink "Mr. Kuni's Farm" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-198...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"Texas Longhorn" Black Texas Folk Artist Johnny Banks African American
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 10 x 13 Frame Size: 16 x 18.5 Medium: Pen, Pencil, Crayon, Marker "Texas Longhorn" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk Artist John Willard Banks, black self-taught artist, the son of Charlie and Cora Lee (McIntyre) Banks, was born on November 7, 1912, near Seguin, Texas. At the age of five his parents took him to San Antonio, where he attended Holy Redeemer School until the age of nine, when his parents were divorced and John returned to his grandparents' farm near Seguin. From childhood Banks's favorite pastime was drawing pictures on his Big Chief tablet. He later recalled, "As a kid I used to lie flat on my stomach, drawing and drawing. . . . My mother had to kick me off the floor to sweep." While helping out on his grandparents' farm, Banks completed the tenth grade before striking out on his own. His favorite activities during his youth were singing in a gospel quartet and playing baseball. In his adult years he worked in oilfields and cotton fields, drove a truck, and tended a San Antonio service station. During World War II he joined the army; he held the rank of sergeant and was stationed in the Philippines. After the war he returned to San Antonio, where he worked as a custodian at Kelly Air Force Base, at Fort Sam Houston, and at a local television station. Banks married Edna Mae Mitchell in 1928, and they had five children. The marriage ended in divorce around 1960. In 1963 he married Earlie Smith. His art career began in 1978 while he was recuperating from an illness for which he had been hospitalized. Banks's wife admired her husband's drawings and secretly took several of them to a San Antonio laundromat. There she hung the drawings on the wall, offering them for sale at the price of fourteen dollars. They were purchased and taken to a gallery for framing. Quite by chance, a San Antonio physician and collector of works of art by black artists...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

"Peter Walks The Water" Jesus and Peter Black African American Folk Painting
By Johnny Banks
Located in San Antonio, TX
Johnny Banks (1912-1988) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 14 x 26 Frame Size: 20 x 32 Medium: Pen, Pencil, Crayon, Marker "Peter Walks The Water" Biography Johnny Banks (1912-1988) In my opinion one of the greatest Texas folk artists of all time. The following information was compiled and submitted by Stephanie Reeves: John Willard Banks, San Antonio, Texas, African American Folk...
Category

1970s Folk Art Johnny Banks Art

Materials

Crayon, Mixed Media

Johnny Banks art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Johnny Banks art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Johnny Banks in crayon, mixed media and more. Not every interior allows for large Johnny Banks art, so small editions measuring 19 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Bill Condon, Reginald Wilson, and Martine Barnard. Johnny Banks art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at £878 and tops out at £1,756, while the average work can sell for £1,461.

Artists Similar to Johnny Banks

Recently Viewed

View More