Biography:

Willard Watson, aka “The Texas Kid”, (1921–1995) was an African-American folk artist from Caddo Parish, Louisiana.^[1]

Personal life

Watson was born on June 17, 1921, in Caddo Parish, Louisiana.^[1] He was the son of L. T. and Mary Liza (née. Frazier) Watson. His paternal grandparents were once slaves in Louisiana.^[1] His maternal relations came to Louisiana via Mississippi after their emancipation from slavery in Virginia.^[1] His parents were sharecroppers in Louisiana.^[1] In 1928, he and his family moved to Dallas.^[1]

While in Dallas, until fourteen years old, Watson attended the B. F. Darrell School.^[1] As he became a young man, he frequented Elm Street’s east end, an area known as “Deep Ellum,” which at that time was a major center of African American activity.^[1] Watson was nearly shot and stabbed multiple times.^[1]

In 1942, during World War II, Watson was in the United States Army and was in the southwestern Pacific area.^[1] He was discharged as a disabled veteran in 1944.^[1]

During Watson’s life, he was married seven times. On April 1, 1967, he married his last wife, Elnora, and they were married for about twenty-eight years.^[1]

In 1968, Watson started his nickname as the “Texas Kid”.^[1] The start of this was from trips to visit relatives in Louisiana and Oklahoma.^[1] The Watsons attended Frontier Days, where all guests wore traditional Western gear.^[1] Watson said, “I would make a new outfit every year for us to wear; I’d sew them myself. They would be really showy and attention-getting; when I’d walk up, Elnora’s people would shout: ‘Here comes the Kid from Texas.”^[1]

Career

Watson based his folk on his “memory, dreams, spirituality, and life circumstances”.^[1] This provided the inspiration for his crafting, collecting, and art.^[1] He was “not formally trained and used objects and materials sourced directly from his daily life”.^[1] Watson’s work started when, as a child, he carved figures from collected wood, and he began to create folk art during his teen years.^[1] He learned to sew from his mother and customized clothing and domestic textiles into one-of-a-kind fashions.^[1][2] He produced drawings and paintings on paper. He used tableaus with text as his form of storytelling.^[1] He also remolded “natural forms like wood pieces and rocks into sculpture”.^[1]

By 1975, he used his front lawn to display his works, such as sculptures of animals.^[1] His 1968 Ford truck was an art object itself with horns and photographs adhered to the side.^[1] This truck grabbed the attention of a local art dealer who started the later wider acclaim.^[1] Watson’s original intent for art creation was self-expression.^[1][2] He became locally known for his yard art and people passed by to view the art.^[1][2]

in 1976, Watson and Bob “Daddy-O Wade built “a three-dimensional, football-field-size map of the United States near the LBJ freeway.^[3]

Legal Controversy

As time passed, a neighbor complained about the “junk” in his yard led to a charge of “illegal open storage” by the City of Dallas Department of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation.^[1] Watson was supported by most of his neighbors and was found not guilty of the charge.^[1] In addition, he would give tours of his home, accepted donations of art materials, and hosted an annual cookout.^[1]

Popular Cultural Impact

In 1985, Watson’s house was used as the filming location. for David Byrne’s movie, True Stories.^[2] Watson did not appear in the movie; however, his wife, Elnora, and one of their grandsons had roles.^[2]

Death

Willard Watson died, on June 12, 1995, in Dallas.^[1] His funeral was held at Missionary Park Baptist Church and his burial was in Lincoln Memorial Park in Dallas.^[1] He was survived by a daughter.^[1]

Credits:

Wikipedia