A Conversation With; Theora Hamblett

A production of the Mississippi Center for Educational Television. Take number three. A series conversation program with Theora Hamblett. Length 28 minutes 30 seconds. Date 12/16/75. Director Seymour. A conversation with Theora Hamblett. Talking to today with Mississippi artist Theora Hamblett is Lee McCarty. MetalSmith and Potter from Marigold Mississippi. "the Art of Theora Hamblett" native Mississippian, born in Paris, Mississippi. Internationally known Painter. You might be interested to know

though we know in this country who Theora Hamblett is. What the noted European art critic and historian, Otto Beharmarian had to say in his book Modern Primitives - Master of Naive Paintings And there is Theora Hamblett with one of her glaring yellow visions quite sufficient of itself to serve as flashbulbs for the photographers who would surely not miss this opening. The opening they were referring to was the world exhibition in Brussels. The pane they were referring to was the vision which was brought from Theora Hamblett's home here in Oxford Mississippi where this is being filmed. Subsequently, sold to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, then shown and chosen to be shown at the International World exhibition in Brussels. The Flashbulbs did pop and it is

chronicled that, it was the favored painting in the international National Exhibition. Theora Hamblett, Oxford Mississippi. There are things, as we have seen them through the years. That fall into approximately four categories which inter-mesh each other. Symbols of faith through dreams and visions children's games, old home scenes, landscapes. When you got dead serious about your painting it was a result of an accident. Tell us about the accident. (TH) I broke my hip in 54 and it was on the um, operating table that um, I um, I realized I had failed to paint 2 paintings that summer before my oper, before I broke my hip. And umm,

On the operating table, I promised my savior if he wanted me to paint those 2 paintings to help me get well and I would paint them. Well I umm, painted one, that, had it already started before I broke my hip. I finish that Painting up. When I was still in the wheelchair. and uh, and my name on it. One Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning, Betty Parsons from Betty Parson's Gallery in New York was at my home and uhh. Where she spent the night. She asked me to let them come over and see my other work. She had one painting of mine, and uh, that umm She brought, um the one I call the Golden Gate.

They named it The Vision. I hadn't thought of it as being a Vision, until they umm, The Museum of Modern Art named it the vision. That gave me a big thrill and big lift. and a (LM) "push") (TH) a big push and uhhh I went to work. Well that came with they. I had another. Dream besides the Golden Gate that heaven descend to earth. I worked on it three or four years and I couldn't get it done right. It, so umm, I finally Began to pray for God to

give me other dreams and colors for me to paint and they began coming. And now my house is filled with, umm, (LM) ("Exhorboitant colors") (Inaudible) Nearly 200 dreams and visions. (LM) "one of the most important vision paintings that you did, that ever done, was, what we refer to as the Ironing Board scene, that was in your home in Paris Mississippi. Tell us about the Ironing Board Painting") (TH) That happened One summer. My brother had gone to a ballgame that afternoon. Back in those days.

parents didn't like for there children to play ball games Saturday afternoon. That was to aganist Belief. And Mama fussin, I went to the uh, fireplace to get a Hot iron. I picked up the hot iron. And went back to the ironing board. And began ironing. And. I. Heard a noise. And I looked up right in front of me And there was an angel angel. It was papa. As I saw him in lights. Only he was this White. The large white angel white. Angel Wings. The white. And grey robe. With both

hands extended out towards me. And the right one nearer me and he says "Baby" I had said. I was going too". And he says. Baby. For my sake don't go. So I didn't. Of course I didn't go. But. That vision. Was a big guiding in my life. After that, when I needed to make a decision. I would get off to myself. And wonder, would papa be pleased with what I was doing. And really I think today what I am today is from

That. (LM) ("You as a young girl experienced something while you were at Blue Mountain College over at Blue Mountain. You had a dream that you were forced to go home. You were compelled a mood/move you to go home. I think it's very important because it was the beginning of something very important in your life. Tell us about your going home"). (TH) "dreamed of papa and he told me I will be with you when you go home. And that made me home sick. And uhh. Didn't. I went home, uh, at the end of the second semester. It was a three semester year. And uh. I didn't realize when I got

Back in those days we had buggy's and horses in Hubert met me at the train with a buggy and horse. And uh. When we got. To the yard likegate, I got out to open the gate and then I realize papa Papa. Would not be there (LM) "(Yes and and that (inaudible). (TH) I was blue, i was crushed. Cross. That. And umm. All that summer, I umm seemed to be tight, in knots I wasn't It took me. It was in the summer in June or early July That I had the vision of papa.

(LM) ("Right, your first vision") Right, my first real vision of him as an angel asking me not to go to the ballgame. Theora, when we were growing up we read all kinds of books, And one of the books that I read that I know you read was Pilgrim's Progress. Tell us about Pilgrim's Progress in relation to your paintings and what effect it had upon your symbols of faith. That uuuh. Book I was supposed to read in high school in my senior year, and I bought it in the summer and was reading the book. In the summer. That I was going to have To. Report own in my senior Year in high school. But. When our I read, Tried to read Pilgrim's Progress, I couldn't get any sense out of it I couldn't put that

away, I kept that book. I had the feeling when I put it away, I would read it but that That someday never did come around. Until. In the, uh, 1960s early 60's. And. I read it one, January. Well umm. At noon I would lie down to rest, I had a couch in front of the windas. And when I would lie down to uum, umm to read To Rest. I would see visions. What uh. Symbol number 18 18a and uh, symbol number 14.

(LM) ("From your book Symbols of Faith, in the home and beyond" Yeah, (LM) "were familiar" It took, several tries, four or five. Before I got. The right design. Because number 18a was a very complicated, um design. And umm, in the foreground is the design. A six pointed star, (LM) "right") and the whole design. Is made up of Six pointed stars. thats in the foreground. Then in the um, beyond the (LM) "foreground") (TH) foreground is, um Moses, a man, I call Moses, stooping over someone sleeping on the ground. Then way back in the the distance, at the horizon, there is 3

colors of brightness lighten up from behind the horizon. One was reddish orange they uh the next lighter, more gold and and then the light red, the light yellow. Yella. (LM) ("that yellow" "we call it the Hamlet yellow". (Laughing) That was my yella. And um. I after would, painted 18b. And um, I put the blue sky. And I think people understand 18b more than they do18a. 18b has a six pointed star with Tassels, on it, up in the blue sky,

that it and the blue sky. Makes it more understandable. (LM) "They can relate more to it"). Then uh, uh Number 14, which I named Moses the Golden Crown. That was, it was hard that was difficult for me understand, To interpret it. And finally, I got nervous. And I prayed about it and then these words were whispered in my ear. Will there be any stars in my crown? So I So I knew it was a crown that was my big problem. So I went to work to make the crown based on stars.

I have the six pointed star and the five pointed and the crown is made up entirely of. (LM) ("Is there to you, a strong connection between Children's game the series that you worked so diligently on, and so interestingly and the symbols of faith?" Children's game what brought me that was a dream. The end of a dream. I was up in the mountain playing game with children. Well, I didn't realize, it's then, at that time that the uh, I should paint children's games with a couple of years later. I happen to,

Have a landscape scene And I wanted children or somebody. I don't like to paint a landscape scene without. Life, human lives. So I have put a bunch of children, playing drop the hanky. Well, the greatest thrill, I guess of my life that painting, when I, When I got through, it was the (inaudible) and we We played drop the handkerchief many many times were I went to school. Then, well I got such a thrill out of that painting, I had to paint another childrens game. And now after.... (LM)("you did a series of children's games with children") I have sold 275 children's games.

And I've got I don't know how many here at home but... (LM) "Theora, you taught children, I always found that fascinating that you never said you taught grades" That you taught children and your children's game series is were, a very important series. You went on to subben and there you were reinstated through classes. Your interest in children's game your remembrances of childhood." I would teach through the winter and then spend the summers and summer school at Mississippi Southern. And four summers, 3 definite now that I remember and I think it was four, that I was in physical education class. (LM)("You must have been a wiz") Well we played those children's games and that refreshed. Those games in my mind and ah,

then when I would go back and teach that winter. Why we would play it, teach the children those games that. Then ah, when I was a child going to school We played those games many many times especially um, in my early school days. So the two, my own child memory and then the teaching children those games. Then, (LM)(interrupted) "They were heavily imprinted". They were heavily imprinted. Somehow, when I began painting that inner Spirit led me into painting landscape scenes with children playing those games.

And that, that was what I got, they uh, that I. People love children (LM) "Yes". And people would buy my paintings for my trees and my children. (LM) "right". (LM) "The Unicef calendar and cover the UNICEF book 1976 contains your, famous paintings Theora stiff dodge (?), the girls are playing a rather interesting game particularly now when we're involved in the world of sensations and throwing herself out of to (inaudible) these children would turn and turn and turn and then what would they do?" They would fall, wouldn't they?" (Laughing both LM & TH) (LM) ("and I have often heard" heard, uh, psychologists say that what they were doing they were going out of this world and you get a sensation of wordings and, uh, uh of not being

in this world, that is a beautiful painting (TH) That go round and round until they get drunk and they fall (LH) [both chuckle] Until they get, they get drunk and fall (LM) "Weve talked about children's games and it all, there's that Ethereal thread that runs through whatever it is, it's all connects to visions and dreams and the, the symbols of fate, and I think, uh, viewing audience would be interested, very interested in the 18B Theora. Tell us... (TH) OK that was, uh, several scenes together. And the first scene that lacing, uh, what is called the ?Back of the trunk? drew back like a curtain then they, uh, seen in the

background was, uh, acted out. First there were four or five old men talking on they uuuh Then all of them left except one, and he kept talking to me, I could see his lips moving, but couldn't hear what he said But I fell someone, coming from out way back in the in, in the distance from the center of a building ?inaudible? as she crossed the valley. She went out of site and, uuh then they ?the ground?. The man disappeared and the, the ground On The Block, I called it. It began to get dark.

Good. I was getting closer to they so I could see the real Earth. But yet. Beyond that, uhh, cliff Clear was gold. Then, uhh, they, uhhh, the first part of story lingered so long, those Men and I had the vision. Why do I always see Men? Aren't there any, if I'm seeing a heavenly scene, Why don't I see lady sometimes. So, when she came across the valley and went outside and then came up the clear, and she, uh, her dress then was black. It was gold, all the time she was, uh, crossing

the valley. But when she came up on the clear, that was, uh, the ground was she had on a grey and black, uh, costume, with black hair, and she came over and stood back a stump. And then they gold, uh, curtain I called it. Symbol faith curtain came back between me and her. And I could see, the uh, definite shape of the curtain, of the design the curtain. where it touched the ground. (LM) "why don't sell your visions?". I, uh, think there's four or five that that slipped out, that I let these so

so early in the work. I'da, I would uh I turned my house into the art of display, I needed money where I had been renting apartments and I would sell paintings. But, I had to, uh, to sell a few. And, when I would sell a vision or a dream I would have a certain bad dream. That dream was, I would be out in a crowd, alone and would have lost my handbag. And I'd just wake up, just feeling miserable. Let a man from Jackson, that had a gallery take the painting to be shown to sell in his gallery,

and, uh, I had the dream, that night of this, uh, dream of being a, miserable, because and that I had lost my handbag. Well, I wrote him the next day, and told him not to sell the painting and why. So when he brought the painting back, he says I believe there's something in that story that, well, that happened, uh, four or five times that every painting I'd sell of the dreams or visions. So I resolved not to sell any more. And.... (LM) "So, there all now here". I have but four or five.

And the one that I sold, has been given to a university. And, uh, that's why I have them. Somehow, God wanted me to keep them together. (LM) "The application of paints Theora, in your painting is a fascinating study. It's a film in itself. Even children go up and try to look in behind a tree, to see what it is about this tree, that gives it such brilliance, such color uh. What interests them. And of course the trees are not painted childlike. They are very technically done and, it takes a great deal of time to just paint one tree in this pointalistic manner in which you achieve this fantastic effect. So you've got to get the sky and the ground in first and then the trees. And that takes a week and

half to Get that and then huh, (trails off). A letter. (Music) This is This is been a conversation with Theora Hamblett. Music Music