Helen Pickle (American/Mississippi, 1914-2002) , "Christmas Eve in Aberdeen, Mississippi", acrylic

Helen Pickle (American/Mississippi, 1914-2002) , "Christmas Eve in Aberdeen, Mississippi", acrylic on masonite, signed lower right, 7 in. x 8 1/8 in., unframed. Note: Helen Pickle was a self-taught artist from Aberdeen, Mississippi who began painting around the age of sixty after surviving a stroke that left her partially paralyzed. Following her illness, Helen and her husband Reuban Pickle faced a difficult transition, not only having to adapt to her new disability, but also the death of their only son a few years prior. They closed their dry-cleaning business and retreated in isolation. One day a friend encouraged Helen to paint with a set of acrylic paints, and within a couple of years, Pickle developed her own aesthetic which garnered local interest. As her work grew in popularity, her husband supported her artistic pursuits by crafting wooden frames for works to be sold and displayed. She became known for her “odd little scenes,” depicting open spaces dotted with minute figures and furniture in disjointed perspectives. A quiet sentimentality colors her work with a bittersweet consideration of family and celebrations past.Ref.: Fleming, Anne. “Aberdeen’s Helen Pickle to show her happy paintings at Lyon.” The Clarksdale Press Register. Sept 04, 1975. www.newspapers.com. Accessed Jan. 30, 2023.
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