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1050 Woodley Road Montgomery, Alabama 36106 (334) 262-5349 Fax: (334) 567-0060 weberart@mindspring.com |
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| Benjamin Franklin "BF" Perkins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born February 6, 1904 in Vernon, Alabama, Benjamin Franklin Perkins longed to see the world when he was young. He first became a seaman with the merchant marines. He traveled to 28 countries during his 48 years away from Alabama. Eventually he became a U. S. Marine, who guarded the White House when Coolidge was President, as well as an evangelist who traveled and preached revivals. In 1936 Perkins married and then became the father of two daughters. After a divorce he had custody of his children and reared them alone in the Washington D.C. area. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| In 1969, Perkins returned to Alabama. He established a congregation of the Church of God and built a church and meeting hall near his quaint studio home located on 5 acres at Bankston near his birthplace. He began painting and adorning his environment with patterns and signs in red, white and blue. His studio was a fascinating place, filled with mottoes and objects he had painted. He painted mostly in acrylic, often on canvas. His unique style had an exotic but genuine mix of patriotism and religious fervor. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"History of the Calendar" oil on canvas 26.25" x 34.5" $1900 (7535)
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"All-American Bird House--Ready for Bird Conventions" acrylic on wood 9" x 13" x 13.5" $800 (0431)
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Open heart surgery slowed him down briefly in 1977. After recovering, he enrolled in an art course at a small community college nearby. He was allowed "to paint the way he wanted to" in this class, and soon was sharing his lifetime of memories and personal messages through his paintings. When he was 87 years old he said, "I enjoy preaching, and I enjoy painting -That's why I keep at it. All of my works have a message.If art don't tell me anything it's not art. When I began to paint I think about something that has meant something to me." In l992, Perkins suffered a second heart attack and was urged to move to a managed care facility. Each day he would drive the five miles to his studio to paint and on Sundays to preach. Perkins died on January 12, l993 at the age of 88. Today his works are in collections throughout the world. |
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Detail of "All-American Bird House--Ready for Bird Conventions" (0431)
Detail of "All-American Bird House--Ready for Bird Conventions" (0431)
