Heart, mind and hand

About 10 years ago, an Eric Legge painting showed up at the Main Street Gallery in Clayton, Ga. It was a simple vase of flowers, which seemed to radiate solar warmth. When people inquired about the artist, the owner said that  Eric and his father Joe could be found in two adjoining garages in Dillard, Ga. In recent years, an increasing number of potential customers have been arriving at the Dillard garages to find Eric in a room filled with music, barking dogs and paintings — hundreds of paintings.

Before long, visitors discover that this good-natured young man in the funky hat and the paint-splattered clothes is accustomed to painting on any surface and with any medium — plywood, masonite, cardboard, canvas, sheet tin, wood doors, glass, carved oak panels, and barn siding. In addition, the outside area surrounding the garage is crowded with assemblage pieces composed of bottle caps, a garden hose and assorted pieces of machinery.  

Paintings hang on the walls, lean against each other in corners, or stack on the floor. Many of the framed pieces are painted on both sides. Benign, oval-faced angels smile from lofty heights, flanked by bearded Christ figures, birds, potted flowers, happy dogs, and the fog-shrouded mountains of North Georgia.

Scattered throughout the room are tape players, old 78 turntables and battered CD players that provide a blend of jazz, country and rock. 

“The music is good company,” says Eric, a soft-spoken fellow with a pronounced North Georgia twang.  

He acts as guide and interpreter leading his visitors through the studio accompanied by a diverse and friendly pack of dogs.

When asked if he is an “outsider artist,” Eric has a standard response: “I’m not real interested in categories and titles. I don’t even put a title on a painting because a title seems to limit it.  Sometimes, when people look at a painting, they see something that I didn’t even know was there. I like that. If I put a label on my work, others may not see their version.”

Eventually, returning visitors discover Eric’s unique life story. From childhood, he has been a compulsive painter and often works all night with only his music and his collection of stray dogs for company.  

“An idea or an image comes to me,” he says, “and I feel compelled to make it real. The mind perceives it, and the hand gives it a shape and a reality. I guess it is a kind of a trinity, you know, heart, mind and hand.”

Eric frequently tells visitors how he paid his way through Valdosta State University where he was employed by a developmental center, working with people with profound or severe handicaps. 

“I guess that experience gave me an awareness of how fortunate I am,” he says. “Being able to think, see and comprehend the world around you is a wonderful gift. I decided that painting and creating art is the best way to use that gift.”

In recent years, Legge’s life has definitely changed for the better. In addition to numerous regional festivals, the Legges have been to a New York Folk Art Festival.

“We sold everything we had,” he says.  

After Eric rediscovered the Internet, hundreds of his paintings became available on his own websites and on eBay.

Several months ago, Eric opened a gallery in Asheville, N.C., where he continues to paint all night. His business card states:  “Studio hours by appointment or chance.” However, visitors sometimes have trouble tracking him down. Usually, he can be found back in Dillard at his father’s studio. When questioned about Eric’s absence from his Asheville address, Eric’s father laughs and says, “He gets homesick, I guess. We lived almost 20 years, on and off, in a barn, you know, and Eric is definitely attached to this region’s pastures and farmland. I think that people will always find us if they want to.”

Eric Legge’s Asheville studio is located at 98 1/2 N. Lexington Ave. For more information, call 706.982.1496.