Accidental Artist

"I feel great being an artist. I didn't even know that I would ever become one. It is just surprising to me."

Self-taught artist Nellie Mae Rowe (1900–82) created this delectable image, What Price Watermellon?, in her signature style—flattened images in vibrant colors. Although her works in humble materials such as crayon, cardboard, and felt-tip markers appear simple, the harmony of color and composition create a masterful suggestion of movement.

Rowe spent her entire life in the rural areas outlying Atlanta, Georgia. Though she enjoyed drawing from a young age, she came to art late in life, after the death of her second husband in 1948. Collectors of folk art began buying her work, and thus an artist was born!

Pictured: Nellie Mae Rowe, 1900–82, What Price Watermellon?, 1981, pencil, ink, and crayon on paper, 18 1/8 x 23 3/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak.