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Gainesville, FL Chainsaw Artist and Sculpture Yard - Jesse James Aaron 1887–1979 Chainsaw artist and environment

Information: A descendant of slaves and Seminole Indians, Jesse Aaron was an imaginative carver dedicated to finding form in wood. At eighty-one years old he was unemployed for the first time in his life. One night he was awakened by "The Spirit." He immediately began to carve, placing his finished pieces in his front yard. He has been included in many major folk art exhibitions and publications, including the book Souls Grown Deep. When his business failed, Aaron prayed for an alternative and said that God responded, "Go carve." He saw human and animal forms in the wood he found and let them out with a chain saw. Individual pieces can be found for sale. Slotin Folk Art

	Reference / Links:
	Orange Hill Gallery Jim Roche on the Artists and Unsigned, Unsung... Slotin Folk Art
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Bibliography: "Contemporary American Folk Art - A Collector's Guide" Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, 1996. "Black Folk Art in America 1930-1980" by Jane Livingston and John Beardsley, published for the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1982. Slotin Folk Art Auction Catalog, Masterpiece Sale, November 4, 2006 "Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists" by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, New York, 1990. "20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993. "Souls Grown Deep: African American vernacular Art of the South", Vol 1, Arnett, et al, 1995. "Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art—A guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johnson, 2000. "Self-Made Worlds: Visionary Environments" by Roger Manley and Mark Sloan, Aperture, New York, 1997. "American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends with 1,319 Capsule Biographies" by Florence Laffal and Julius Laffal, 2003.

Credit: Slotin Folk Art

Big Dog Face with HornsWood & found objects. Glass eyes. An Aaron Masterpiece. Very good condition. 44" high x 37 long x 34" w Credit: Slotin Folk Art

Deer Head Wood, antlers, cast eyes. 14" x 15" x 12" Credit: Slotin Folk Art

Totem with Many Faces Glass Eyes on wooden sculpture. 20" w x 43" h. Name is punched in on top, initials on opposite side. Human and animal faces carved all around. Featured on page 202 of Animals in America Folk Art. Credit: Slotin Folk Art

Buck Carved and assembled wood. 53" w x 31" h. Credit: Slotin Folk Art

	Bullshead Carved wood. 24" w x 24" h. Credit: Slotin Folk Art
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