A beautiful piece of art by Clementine herself for Mother's Day!
The memories of the things Clementine Hunter loved and observed during her life on the Melrose Plantation are portrayed on this lovely collection we recently had fun displaying. Her famous paintings of cotton pickings, washdays, pecan pickings, weddings, baptisms, funerals and other scenes of life on Melrose have made her works an important part of American history. The Clementine Hunter ceramic collection is entirely made by hand and hand-painted. No two pieces are alike. Each piece has its own distinctive shape whose textured surface allows you to feel the passion in her work. Hang them on your wall, display them on your bookshelf, use them as a centerpiece for your table or make them your favorite serving pieces for any occasion.
Shown above is "BAPTISM ON CANE RIVER" Clementine Hunter depicts the ritual of baptizing new church members in the Cane River. This was always a celebrated event in Natchitoches, Louisiana. "PICKING AND HAULING COTTON" Clementine shows picking cotton and hauling the cotton to the gin on a horse drawn cart. "COTTON WAGON" Clementine records the horse drawn wagon hauling cotton from the fields to the gin as it was done for hundreds of years prior to mechanization coming to agriculture. "PECAN PICKING" Clementine depicts the large pecan trees and the hard work of thrashing the trees and bending down to pick up the pecans.
"ZINNIAS LOOKING AT YOU" Each summer the Zinnias were in bloom at Melrose Plantation. Zinnias were Clementine Hunter's favorite flower.
"GOOSTER HAULING FLOWERS" Clementine Hunter has a Gooster hauling a cart of Zinnias, her favorite flower.
In the inside of this bowl, Clementine Hunter documents the Africa House where she lived surrounded by the cotton fields. The exterior of the bowl depicts the hard work of hand picking rows of cotton on Melrose Plantation in central Louisiana. Hunter's paintings are a visual history of singular events of plantation life.
In this artist rendering, Clementine Hunter captures the structures at historic Melrose Plantation on the Cane River. She depicts Cotton Picking and Wash Day.
Clementine Hunter depicts the horse drawn wagon hauling cotton from the fields to the gin as it was done for hundreds of years before tractors were used. Here you see the cotton pickers, the horse drawn wagon, the cotton being bailed and the cotton gin all in the same narrative scene. Clementine Hunter lived and worked on Melrose Plantation, one of the largest cotton farms in Louisiana.
Baptism on Cane River is one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Clementine Hunter captures the ritual of baptizing new church members in the Cane River. Here Clementine Hunter depicts the local Catholic Church in the background with the Baptist tradition of immersion. This was always a joyous time for young and old. Baptizing in the Cane River is a community tradition in Natchitoches, Louisiana. This event is typical of the paintings Clementine did documenting life on a rural plantation in central Louisiana in the first half of the twentieth century.
Clementine Hunter lived on Melrose Plantation in central Louisiana for most of her life. The plantation had large pecan orchards, and in this scene Clementine captured the work of threshing the trees and picking up the pecans that fell from the trees. Clementine depicts a teenager hanging upside down to shake the trees so the pecans could fall to the ground for the ladies to pick up and place in their buckets.
Picking Figs to make preserves was always a popular summertime activity at Melrose Plantation. Each ceramic is hand-painterd and no two are exactly alike.
Clementine Hunter shows picking cotton and hauling the cotton to the gin on a horse drawn cart. Each ceramic is hand-painterd and no two are exactly alike. Each piece has its own distinctive shape whose textured surface allows you to feel the passion in her work. With each piece purchased, a percentage of the proceeds will go toward preservation and interpretation of the Clementine Hunter House at Melrose Plantation, a National Historical Landmark.
Clementine Hunter shows picking cotton and hauling the cotton to the gin on a horse drawn cart.
Clementine Hunter's favorite flowers were zinnias. She would paint them each summer when they were blooming. Recently, there was an opera called "Zinnias, The Life of Clementine Hunter" which had raving reviews in the New York Times.
In this whimsical artist rendering, Clementine Hunter depicts a Gooster, a combination of a rooster and a goose, pulling a cart of Zinnias, her favorite flower. There is currently an opera entitled Zinnias, The Life of Clementine Hunter which is performing around the world.
Louisiana’s most famous artist, Clementine Hunter, was born in 1886 at Hidden Hill Plantation below Cloutierville, Louisiana. At a young age, Clementine moved to Melrose Plantation where she lived and worked until her death in 1988 at age 101. Clementine first worked in the cotton fields and pecan groves until Miss Cammie Henry, the owner of Melrose, brought her into the "Big House" to clean and cook. It was here that she came in contact with visiting writers and artists, including New Orleans artist Alberta Kinsley, whose work inspired Clementine to try painting. Without formal training, she produced colorful memory paintings that captured every day life on Melrose Plantation. Her paintings are recognized as a narrative telling the story of plantation life during the time before mechanization came to agriculture. Her pictures of cotton pickings, washdays, pecan pickings, weddings, baptisms, funerals and other scenes of life on Melrose, have made her works coveted around the world. Clementine Hunter is considered one of the most important self-taught American artists of the 20th century. Her works can be seen in the Smithsonian Institution, The American Folk Art Museum and countless other museums and private collections.
With every purchase made, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Clementine Hunter's estate to further promote Clementine Hunter. All ceramics are food, microwave and dishwasher safe.
Clementine Hunter standing in front of the African House, c. 1950. Photo by Carolyn Ramsey
