The 'Grandma Moses' of Laurel County
Nannie Dorothea Hinkle Phelps, commonly known as Nan Phelps, was born at Lily, in Laurel County, on August 25, 1904, daughter of Primitive Baptist Preacher John Hinkle and his second wife, Lula Weaver Hinkle.
When Nan was five years old, someone gave her a nickel box of crayons, which sparked a lifelong love for drawing.
As a young teenager, one of her teachers gave her some watercolors and paper, and she began experimenting with painting.
Forced to drop out of school at age 14, by 1925, Nan was divorced and a single mother with two small children living in Hamilton, Ohio.
In 1928, she remarried to a man named Robert Phelps. They were together more than 60 years, until Nan’s death separated them, and they had three children together.
In the 1930s, Nan took a two-year correspondence course in design and bought a set of oil paints from the Sears & Roebuck mail order catalog.
She used every spare minute to paint.
For her subjects, she drew from her own imagination as well as her memories of growing up in Kentucky.
Her style of art was described variously by the experts as naive art, folk art, and primitive art.
Nan’s artwork was – and still is – often compared to that of Grandma Moses, who was categorized as a folk artist.
She won a one-year scholarship to attend the Cincinnati Art Academy, but she didn’t stay long because she didn’t think they could teach her anything.
Nan said, “God is the giver of my talent, and the only teacher I ever had.”
During the 1930s and 1940s, Nan would roll up her painted canvases and ride a bus all the way from Hamilton, Ohio, to New York City to show her work to art galleries there.
Nan’s persistence finally paid off, and she eventually caught the attention of Dr. Otto Kallir, director of the Galerie St. Etienne in Manhattan, who had promoted Grandma Moses' art.
Kallir soon developed an interest in Nan’s artwork and agreed to represent her and to promote her paintings.
Nan Phelps, like Grandma Moses, eventually gained worldwide fame for her paintings.
And like Grandma Moses, Nan Phelps’ art is part of some very prestigious collections, including the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City; the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio; The Henry Ford Art Collection in Detroit, Michigan; the Kentucky Folk Art Center at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky; the New Orleans Museum of Art in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois; and the Cumberland Valley Art Gallery in London, Kentucky.
Nan Phelps was hospitalized in Hamilton, Ohio, in late 1989 and passed away on January 17, 1990, but her artwork still features in exhibitions and art shows.
The podcast episode contains many more details about Nan Phelps’ life and art.
Please listen if you want to know more about this remarkable Laurel County native.
The 'Grandma Moses' of Laurel County
Nannie Dorothea Hinkle Phelps, commonly known as Nan Phelps, was born at Lily, in Laurel County, on August 25, 1904, daughter of Primitive Baptist Preacher John Hinkle and his second wife, Lula Weaver Hinkle.
When Nan was five years old, someone gave her a nickel box of crayons, which sparked a lifelong love for drawing.
As a young teenager, one of her teachers gave her some watercolors and paper, and she began experimenting with painting.
Forced to drop out of school at age 14, by 1925, Nan was divorced and a single mother with two small children living in Hamilton, Ohio.
In 1928, she remarried to a man named Robert Phelps. They were together more than 60 years, until Nan’s death separated them, and they had three children together.
In the 1930s, Nan took a two-year correspondence course in design and bought a set of oil paints from the Sears & Roebuck mail order catalog.
She used every spare minute to paint.
For her subjects, she drew from her own imagination as well as her memories of growing up in Kentucky.
Her style of art was described variously by the experts as naive art, folk art, and primitive art.
Nan’s artwork was – and still is – often compared to that of Grandma Moses, who was categorized as a folk artist.
She won a one-year scholarship to attend the Cincinnati Art Academy, but she didn’t stay long because she didn’t think they could teach her anything.
Nan said, “God is the giver of my talent, and the only teacher I ever had.”
During the 1930s and 1940s, Nan would roll up her painted canvases and ride a bus all the way from Hamilton, Ohio, to New York City to show her work to art galleries there.
Nan’s persistence finally paid off, and she eventually caught the attention of Dr. Otto Kallir, director of the Galerie St. Etienne in Manhattan, who had promoted Grandma Moses' art.
Kallir soon developed an interest in Nan’s artwork and agreed to represent her and to promote her paintings.
Nan Phelps, like Grandma Moses, eventually gained worldwide fame for her paintings.
And like Grandma Moses, Nan Phelps’ art is part of some very prestigious collections, including the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City; the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio; The Henry Ford Art Collection in Detroit, Michigan; the Kentucky Folk Art Center at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky; the New Orleans Museum of Art in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois; and the Cumberland Valley Art Gallery in London, Kentucky.
Nan Phelps was hospitalized in Hamilton, Ohio, in late 1989 and passed away on January 17, 1990, but her artwork still features in exhibitions and art shows.
The podcast episode contains many more details about Nan Phelps’ life and art.
Please listen if you want to know more about this remarkable Laurel County native.