George Wardlaw
About the Artist
Raised on his family’s Prentiss County Farm, George Wardlaw became deeply rooted in southern traditions and developed a strong connection to the land. He helped raise cotton, corn, soybeans, and hay for the farm’s cows and horses. He knew everything a farmer’s life entailed at a young age.
Wardlaw’s earliest influences came from his parents, George Wiley Wardlaw and Lillie Lee Tapp Wardlaw. His mother’s quilting taught him about the social environment connected to art making, as well as how to appreciate color and pattern. His father would submit dog sketches to register the hunting dogs he bred for quail hunting, adding spots in the right places to give them identity, and Wardlaw remembers his drawings contained a certain power, “like magic” when finished each time. It is likely Wardlaw’s early drawing was influenced by the distinctive and abstract details in his father’s drawing observed as a boy.
Source: The University of Mississippi
“Art as we know it today simply did not exist in my limited culture growing up. During the big depression in North Mississippi art was the furthest thing from consideration — survival was the major concern.”
