Hale Woodruff

Hale Aspacio Woodruff was born on August 26, 1900, in Cairo, Illinois so he is one of our American born artists. I picked Woodruff as our artist for August because I just loved the painting below. It is called "Poor Man's Cotton."

Hale Woodruff was an African American artist known for his murals, paintings, and prints. He moved to and grew up in Nashville Tennessee. While in high school Hale was the cartoonist for the school newspaper.

After his art training he contributed to the development of African American art as an artist and a distinguished art educator. He was a leading artist of the Harlem Renaissance (an African American cultural movement of the 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City).

He died September, 1980 in New York City. His art work depicted his heritage. When painting, he used an abstract style and his prints were often made from woodcuts. Below is an example of one of his prints. This print is called "Returning Home."


Why don't you create a picture called "Returning Home?" You can do it in color or black and white and use your favorite art tools and materials.