Vintage Georgia Folk Artist R.A. Miller Tin and 43 similar items

Awesome figural tin cut out by R.A. Miller (R.I.P 2006) one of Georgia's most celebrated Outsider folk artists! This is a great tin double flag Statue of Liberty cut out!! R.A. hand cut out all of his tin figures, flags and animals and this Lady Liberty is no exception. Paint pens and sharpie pen details, signed on front at bottom. There is a bonus design on the backside (see pic) that was another art piece at one time and R.A. decided to turn into this piece instead! Fantastic treasure to add to your folk art collection! * We have several wonderful R. A. Miller folk art pieces available in the shop so check our other listings, we will happily combine orders to save on shipping! R. A. Miller, was a resident of Rabbittown, an unincorporated community north of Gainesville, was one of the state's enduring beloved self-taught artists, noted for his "whirligigs," or metal cutout figures and drawings, which typically feature animal or human figures some with short inspirational messages. Born on July 22, 1912, on the property where he lived for most of his life, Reuben Aaron Miller worked in cotton mills, farmed, and served as a preacher for the Free Will Baptist Church. When chronic eye problems began to limit Miller's activities, he started making whirligigs to pass the time. Although Miller's early whirligigs sometimes featured mechanical figures, most were decorated with flat animal or human shapes, cut from tin and painted in enamel. Miller typically attached these cutouts to horizontal wooden supports, ranging from standard two-by-two lumber to salvaged furniture arms and legs. Tin paddles were cut, painted, and attached to wooden cross forms or bicycle wheels to provide surfaces for the wind to catch. By the mid-1980s Miller's yard was a spectacle a hilltop field of hundreds of spinning windmills. His animated environment attracted frequent visitors, including Athens rock group R.E.M., who in 1984, with painter and filmmaker James Herbert, filmed a twenty-minute video, Left of Reckoning, on Miller's hilltop. R.A. produced paintings and drawings in enamel or marker on masonite, these works include human figures, animals, and dinosaurs, which share space with such short inspirational messages as "Lord Love You" and are surrounded by simple decorative borders. Miller's work has been included in such exhibitions as Outside the Mainstream: Folk Art in Our Time at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (1988) and Passionate Visions of the American South at the New Orleans Museum of Art in Louisiana (October 1993-January 1994). Further exhibitions, the inclusion of his work in museums' permanent collections, and articles in such international publications as Raw Vision have contributed to Miller's status as an elder statesman among Georgia's self-taught artists. In 2004 Miller lost his sight to an eye infection and moved to a nursing home in Commerce, where he died in March 2006. The month before his death, an exhibition of his work entitled R. A. Miller: A Tribute opened at the Brenau University Galleries. Lady Liberty is in great vintage condition! The usual preloved light surface scuff scratch wear here and there to the finish from years of adding charm to our home, but nothing that distracts from this wonderful R.A treasure of folk art history. Please see enlarged pics for best description and details. Makers Mark: Signed: R. A. Miller on front Approximate size: 14-1/2" tall by 4-1/2" wide at bottom ? Weight: 4oz before packing material and shipping box Cosmic Pop values our excellent reputation as sellers and try our very best to honestly portray the condition of our items through our descriptions and multi photographs. Please enlarge our photos for the best details, they are a huge part of the item description. Though we have come along way over the last 25+ years, we are not a professional photographers, but strive for the best clarity and detail of each item. Please note colors may slightly differ than that shown in pictures due to lighting and/or from our computer screen to your computer screen. After so may years of recycling history, we do not claim to be experts in all things mid century, but we do research every item we sell and try to accurately describe it's condition to our buyers. We welcome all of your questions and do our best to respond promptly. We are always eager to learn something new about the history of a piece, so feel free to share any additional information you might have. Please note that 99% of our items are antique, vintage or retro (from the 1920's to the 1990's) so any of the typical preloved surface wear will commensurate with age unless otherwise noted. We purchase from estate sales, individuals, flea markets and antique stores. We do our best to offer pristine inventory, in clean as a whistle condition for our buyers, however we do not wash fragile items, as not to damage any finishes which may mean that they could be dusty from years of storage. We are proud of our speedy shipping and always offer same day/next day shipping upon receipt of payment. We are also known for our pride in gorilla proof packaging (especially fragile items) and on occasion will use excellent condition recycled packing materials too. This helps keep our shipping prices lower and helps the environment for a win-win! Unfortunately with shipping it is all about location, so sometimes shipping from our east coast location to the west coast, the costs have risen significantly in recent years, so we are always open to utilizing various couriers other than standard postal service to help save money! If you purchase multiple items, we are always happy to combine orders to reduce shipping costs. Cosmic Pop does not accept returns, so please take notice of all details and ask any questions prior to purchase. Please know that buyers remorse or failure to look at our plethora of pictures read our lengthy descriptions are not valid reasons for returning an item. We would greatly appreciate if you would let us know that you have received your item(s) safely by leaving positive feedback for us, it means the world to keep growing our business! We shop and list daily/weekly for new and unusual vintage treasures, so stop by our shop often! Again, thanks for browsing our shop, we take pride in offering an eclectic sampling from days gone by and we love sharing our finds with you to help you add to your collections and decor! We take immense pride in saving history one day at a time and keeping these beauties from the landfill! Thanks for allowing us to keep doing what we love since 1998!! ?