Folk art on its own is an art that taps into the history and traditions of different cultures. It is art created by everyday people exploring their communities, life experiences and heritage on a deeply personal basis rather than relying upon formal training in artistic genres.
Folk art is deeply rooted in traditions reflecting the artist’s past, heritage and customs.
The fact that it is described as “folk” art says a great deal. It is art that is created by people and for the people. In the 1700’s and 1800’s folk art described art that was created by craftsmen, laborers and members of the working class. They employed skills they had learned in the trades and used their imaginations to create uniquely beautiful pieces representing everyday life.
Their art techniques were usually simple, childlike designs and bright colors. These artists were much more concerned with expressing themselves than with accuracy, proportion and realism. They were much more interested in telling stories about everyday life and culture in their simplest forms.
Folk art may include pottery, textiles, or carvings. Many pieces were created with specific cultural meanings and religious events. It is an incredibly rich medium that covers all forms of visual cultural lifestyles and societies. There are no distinctions of class, ethnicity, status, gender or religion.
As a folk artist, I have fused traditional folk art with aspects of modern urban life. My style is simple as I attempt to preserve traditional techniques and at the same time educating the younger generation.
Folk art provides substance to our lives and helps us to understand our world. My goal is to provide stress relief through whimsy and color. When people look at my art I want them to feel calm and happy. This is not an easy feat in today’s harried and harrowing world. Thinking creatively has helped me to learn new, innovative ways of solving problems in art and in life.
Our world contains so many different cultures that folk art fusion can bring us closer together through sharing history and heritage. This encourages the embracing of diversity. Folk art fusion is definitely art from my heart.
— Annie Prescott
About the Artist
Annie Prescott was born in Fall River in 1952. She fell in love with color and texture at an early age. She attended Sacred Hearts Academy through high school and then studied English and Art at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. After graduation in 1973, she became an English teacher at BMC Durfee High School in Fall River Massachusetts.
After a career of 35 years, she retired from teaching in 2008. She then had a studio at the Narrows Center for the Arts for over 4 years. She and her husband Frank then opened a store in her hometown of Somerset, MA. After the closing of the store in 2020 she continued to pursue both her art and writing in her home studio looking out over the Taunton River where she continues to fine-tune her painting style of Folk Art Fusion. She published her first book of poetry in 2022. In addition to her exhibits here at the Narrows Center for the Arts, Annie has also had exhibits at the Osterville Village Library on Cape Cod and The Trescott Street Gallery in Taunton MA.
Annie and Frank Prescott continue to reside in Somerset, MA.
Image 1: “Frida and Friends”
Image 2: “Bluebirds Sing Because They Can”
Image 3: “Elemental”
