Pinellas County painter taught by 'Florida Highwaymen' artist helps honor legacy

Pinellas County painter taught by ?Florida Highwaymen? artist helps honor legacy

The group got their start in Ft. Pierce during segregation.?They were not allowed to display their work in galleries, so they sold their paintings from the trunks of their cars.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - West Evans is usually in a park or along a St. Petersburg street with his easel set up and oil paints out. He's a Florida transplant, but his love for the sunshine state comes through in his art. 

The speed painter with a very distinctive style had never picked up a paintbrush until about four years ago. 

"They're Florida landscape paintings," Evans said of his work. "Most people look at them, and they'll say that looks like a Highwaymen painting," Evans said.

That's because he was taught to paint by Al Black, one of the 26 African American artists from the 1960s known as the Florida Highwaymen. The group got their start in Ft. Pierce during segregation. They were not allowed to display their work in galleries, so they sold their paintings from the trunks of their cars.

"Went to doctors and lawyers and motels and anybody that would look at the paintings and asked if they would buy them," recalled Doretha Hair Truesdell.

Truesdell’s late husband, Alfred Hair, was the founding member, and she said the Highwaymen produced about 200,000 paintings.

"We were selling for like $25 a painting. During that time, if you made $100 a day, you were making good money," Treusdell said.

After Alfred died in 1970, interest in the art fell off. It was not until the mid-90’s that the vivid scenes became popular once again. The 26 painters were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, and these days their paintings go for tens-of-thousands of dollars.

"Now we are planning a Highwaymen museum to actually house the Highwaymen paintings, so their legacy will continue on long after their eyes have closed," said Truesdell.

The remaining artists have formed a non-profit and are working to build the Highwaymen Museum and African-American Cultural Center on Avenue D in Ft. Pierce.  They received a grant to bring the building up to museum standards, and are raising money for the project through donations along with pre-sales for a specialty Florida license plate.

The plan is to display about 50 paintings total, with at least one from every member of the Florida Highwaymen. They hope to be open for business in January.

On Monday, April 18, a benefit for the project is being held at Chuck’s Seafood Restaurant on the Treasure Coast. The goal is to raise about $20,000 for museum operating costs.

"I think they deserve that. So anything I can do to help them," said Evans.

This Saturday, April 16, he is accepting donations and selling some of his own artwork. Evans will be at Elva Rouse Park in St. Petersburg from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

"If I had never met Al, I wouldn't be painting at all. So the least I can do is try to help put him in this museum where, you know, it's them, it's just for them," Evans said.

Only eight Florida Highwaymen are still alive, and the museum will make sure their art never dies.

HIGHWAYMEN MUSEUM: https://originalfloridahalloffamehighwaymen.org/

MONDAY FUNDRAISER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/original-florida-highwaymen-event-fundraiser-at-chucks-seafood-tickets-277901590137

HIGHWAYMEN SPECIALTY PLATE: https://myfloridaspecialtyplate.com/highwaymenorder.html