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“Standin' in front of the fire is an old Virginia custom. It was the first place people went in cold weather, to warm themselves and catch up on the latest talk. In this particular instance, Judy [the artist's daughter] and Mary Massey are standin' in front of the fire sharin' the latest news. Well, Mary Massey always had real fine legs and there she is in the picture, liftin' her dress to warm her legs.”
Born Emma Serena Dillard, Stovall began painting in 1949 at the age of 62, after taking an art course at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Over the next 31 years, she painted about 50 works documenting the lives of her family, friends, and neighbors.
Exhibition History“Folk Art from the Collection of the New York State Historical Association,” Museum of American Folk Art, NY, January 11, 2000 – February 18, 2000.
“American Treasures from the Fenimore Art Museum,” The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL, February 11, 2004 – April 16, 2004.
"Queena Stovall," Daura Gallery, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA, January 5, 2009 - April 29, 2009.
"Inside Looking Out: The Art of Queena Stovall," Daura Gallery, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA, May 12, 2018 - October 14, 2018; Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA, January 17, 2018 - April 13, 2018.
Bibliography"Queena Stovall: Reflections of a Country Life," Exhibition mini catalogue from Lynchburg College, Daura Gallery January 19-April 12, 2009.
Artist
Queena Stovall
(1887 - 1980)
Fireside in Virginia
Date1950
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 23 1/8 × 29 3/16 × 2 3/8 in. (58.7 × 74.1 × 6 cm)
Sight: 17 3/8 × 23 3/8 in. (44.1 × 59.4 cm)
Object numberN0061.1994
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Museum Purchase
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextIn this painting, the artist's husband Brack has fallen asleep in his easy chair on a cold November afternoon while two girls warm themselves by the fire. Queena Stovall explained this picture in a 1974 interview:“Standin' in front of the fire is an old Virginia custom. It was the first place people went in cold weather, to warm themselves and catch up on the latest talk. In this particular instance, Judy [the artist's daughter] and Mary Massey are standin' in front of the fire sharin' the latest news. Well, Mary Massey always had real fine legs and there she is in the picture, liftin' her dress to warm her legs.”
Born Emma Serena Dillard, Stovall began painting in 1949 at the age of 62, after taking an art course at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Over the next 31 years, she painted about 50 works documenting the lives of her family, friends, and neighbors.
Exhibition History“Folk Art from the Collection of the New York State Historical Association,” Museum of American Folk Art, NY, January 11, 2000 – February 18, 2000.
“American Treasures from the Fenimore Art Museum,” The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL, February 11, 2004 – April 16, 2004.
"Queena Stovall," Daura Gallery, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA, January 5, 2009 - April 29, 2009.
"Inside Looking Out: The Art of Queena Stovall," Daura Gallery, Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA, May 12, 2018 - October 14, 2018; Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA, January 17, 2018 - April 13, 2018.
Bibliography"Queena Stovall: Reflections of a Country Life," Exhibition mini catalogue from Lynchburg College, Daura Gallery January 19-April 12, 2009.
On View
On view
