Myrtice West (1923 - )

Pieces for sale by Myrtice West

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June 9th, 2005

Wallace West goes to be with the Lord

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Wallace West,  Myrtice's husband of 64 years. Wallace passed away on June 9th, 2005 after a long illness. Wallace and Myrtice were married on December 24, 1940. Wallace served in the United States Navy during World War II, worked as a farmer, and in a stove foundry. He was the founder of the Coosa Printing Company and worked as a photographer for the Cherokee Herald in Centre, AL.

In addition to his wife, Mr. West is survived by two sisters, Geraldine Smith of Centre and Betty Ray Jennings of Rock Run; one grandson, Bram Barnett of Fort Payne; one granddaughter, Kara Barnett of Centre, one great granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews.

Wallace will be missed by everyone who knew him.

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May 13th, 2005

Myrtice West featured in the New York Times

In a review of the exhibition "Coming Home! Self-Taught Artists, the Bible and the American South," the May 13, 2005 New York Times underscored the work of  Myrtice West by mentioning her painting "Satan Takes Over." A color photo of the work accompanied the article.

The reviewer wrote: "Also wonderfully visionary is Myrtice West's 'Satan Takes Over,' in which the giant Oz-style face of a pointy-eared fellow is layered over an allegorical rural landscape, to frightening yet comical effect." The painting is owned by prominent Chicago collector Bob Roth.

The exhibit, organized by Carol Crown (who edited Wonders to Behold: The Visionary Art of Myrtice West) and the Univ. of Memphis Art Museum, is the premier exhibit at the new Museum of Biblical Art in New York. It  remained at the Museum through July 2005.

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September 1, 2004

Exhibitions, Exhibitions!

2004 has been a really good year for Myrtice. Her work has been included in two major exhibitions. "Revelations and Reflections of American Self-Taught Artists" toured 15 venues and included two of Myrtice's works "White Throne Judgment" and "Mother of Harlots".

Myrtice's work was also included in The University of Memphis Art Museum's "Coming Home! Self-Taught Artists, the Bible, and the American South." Works included in the exhibition were : "Daniel Chapter 2," "Christ Returns as Church Gets Ready," and "Christ and Bride Coming into Wedding." 

Other prominent artists in the show include Howard Finster, Gertrude Morgan, Elijah Pierce, and William Blayney.

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February 8th, 2000

FOLK ARTIST LOSES EVERYTHING IN HOUSE FIRE; CONTRIBUTIONS URGENTLY NEEDED.

MEMPHIS, TENN. — Renowned folk artist Myrtice West lost almost everything but her life when her house in Centre, Alabama burned down February 8. Neither she nor her husband Wallace were injured. The couple, who are both in their 70's and in frail health, had minimal insurance and little savings.

West was able to save 13 large paintings but lost dozens of other artworks, as well as all the family's photos, documents, furniture, and heirlooms. She also has no materials—brushes, paints, canvases, easels, etc.—with which to create more art and generate income.

What follows are photos of the West's decimated home...

	Myrtice and Wallace in their new home
Myrtice and Wallace's New Home

Myrtice on Clinton

The Fire

Ten Commandments

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December, 1999

WONDERS TO BEHOLD: The Visionary Art of Myrtice West

Edited by Carol Crown

$50 - 144 Pages full color throughout - ISBN 0-914457-99-3

Working in rural Alabama for seven years, Myrtice West painted the entire book of Revelation in thirteen large, vivid paintings. Wests Revelation Series, exhibited in public only twice, is the subject of a new book featuring essays by seventeen renowned scholars and artists, including Ben Appelbaum, Howard "Finster, George Fowler, Miriam Fowler, Norman Girardot, Rebecca Hoffberger, Lee Kogan, Norbert Kox, Leslie Leubbers, Roger Manley, Ann Oppenhimer, Tom Patterson, Charles Rosenak, Gary Schwindler, Charles Reagan Wilson, and Benjamin Wright. The definitive work on Myrtice West and apocalypticism among self-taught artists, Wonders to Behold will appeal to everyone fascinated by visionary and "outsider" art, Southern Christian fundamentalism, and the furor over the new millennium.

"Myrtice West's remarkable painting satisfies intellectually as well as spiritually and aesthetically." — Roger Manley

Order from Mustang Publishing • P.O. Box 770426 • Memphis, TN • 38177 • USA • 800-250-8713 

A short biography...

Myrtice West was Born in Cherokee County in September of 1923. As a child she worked the cotton fields of Alabama. At age 17 she married a sharecropper named Wallace West. In dealing with the deep depression that was brought on by two miscarriages, Ms. West turned to her childhood hobby of drawing to ease the pain of her loss.

At age 60 her childhood hobby would once again bring her back from the brink of despair. This time she turned to her painting as a way to deal the heartbreaking pain and desperate sorrow of seeing her daughter live with an abusive husband who later took her only child’s life in a fit of rage. The murder of her daughter at the hands of an abusive husband was the catalyst for her first series of paintings inspired by the Book of Revelation.

Ms. West now raises her two grandchildren left by her daughter and also takes care of her 90 year old mother who lives with them. Mr. Wallace West was diagnosed with cancer and is unable to work. To supplement the social security checks, Ms. West sells her paintings and cares for an elderly border.

Pieces for sale by Myrtice West