Leroy Almon
(1938-1997) Tallapoosa, GA
Leroy Almon was born in Georgia, and grew up in Ohio. After graduation from high school, he became a shoe salesman and later worked for the Coca-Cola Company in Columbus, Ohio. There, at Gay Tabernacle Baptist Church, he befriended Elijah Pierce, the renowned woodcarver. In 1979, when Almon lost his job, he apprenticed himself to Pierce and became "curator" of the artist's barbershop gallery. Initially, the two collaborated on pieces until Almon began creating his own carvings inspired by religion, politics, and history. Almon's artworks began as preliminary sketches, which were then transferred to softwood panels and carved in low relief with pocketknife and chisel.
In 1982, Almon returned to his hometown of Tallapoosa, where he restored his boyhood home and converted the basement into a workshop and gallery. He became an ordained minister and a nondenominational evangelist, while at the same time working as a police dispatcher. Christianity remained Almon's primary focus, both in his life and his art. (from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation website: http://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/leroy-almon)
EVIL/Good
1992
24" x 12.5"
polychrome bas-relief carving on panel
$1400
(click on photo to see larger view)