Woodie Long, well-known local artist, has passed away

kurt · 10-12-2009, 05:31 PM

Woodie was a kind and gentle soul and will be missed by so many. I will enjoy his art for the rest of my days.

YouTube - Ala. Folk Artist Woodie Long - Something to Say

YouTube - Ala. Folk Artist Woodie Long - 'Just a House Painter'

YouTube - Ala. Folk Artist Woodie Long creates a painting in 4 minutes

YouTube - Ala. Folk Artist Woodie Long - New York & France

YouTube - Ala. Folk Artist Woodie Long - Other People's Memories

peaboy · 10-12-2009, 05:55 PM

Woodie Long was (is) a friend of mine. This was one fine man. We have lost a great one here today.

"Woodie Be Free" as I would call him.

Please send prayers to his wonderful wife Dot, she is also as good as gold.

Susan Horn · 10-12-2009, 06:04 PM

Wow, very sad news. I didn't ever know him well, just enough to say hello and chat a minute if we happened to be at the same place. He was always so gentle and encouraging. His paintings make me smile, always will.

jdarg · 10-12-2009, 06:19 PM

So sad to hear this. Woodie was one of the people that really made this area wonderful.

Bobby J · 10-12-2009, 06:52 PM

This is truly a sad day. My heart is broken. Words can not express what a wonderful person he was.
So much we could all learn from that way he lived his life and his kindness and generosity. We lived among a legend who was simply a 'house painter". Rest in peace my friend.

Walton Outdoors · 10-12-2009, 08:23 PM

South Walton (and the planet) has lost a good soul. What an incredible illustrator of the simple life. Woody and his incredible artwork will be missed. I will never forget the "gator's gonna get you" ... those that have lived here a while will understand that one! God bless Woody, his beautiful art and his wonderful life! My condolences to Dot and family.

Susan Vallee · 10-12-2009, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walton Outdoors

South Walton (and the planet) has lost a good soul. What an incredible illustrator of the simple life. Woody and his incredible artwork will be missed. I will never forget the "gator's gonna get you" ... those that have lived here a while will understand that one! God bless Woody, his beautiful art and his wonderful life! My condolences to Dot and family.

I saw that shirt the other day! I'll have to dig it out and wear it tomorrow. So incredibly sad. What a gifted soul.
Prayers to his wife and all who loved him. He touched many lives.

ShallowsNole · 10-12-2009, 08:57 PM

Goodness gracious. Was thinking about him and Dot just the other day.

LightWorker · 10-12-2009, 10:14 PM

I will miss seeing him smile.

criolla man · 10-12-2009, 11:10 PM

Among my memories of Woody was actually from Napa Valley. I was visiting Dick Grace at his winery / home and he wanted to show me one of his most cherished paintings. Not knowing just what Dick had in store for me we walked through his home we turned the corner and there was an Andy Warhol self portrait. I was initially impressed and Dick said, "oh that thing is going to auction". We walked into the next room and I immediately saw what he was really proud of. There hanging prominently on the wall was a Woody Long original.

Woody Long was himself an original. He was so kind. Our hearts are saddened and we are thinking of Dot.

whaddyasay · 10-12-2009, 11:55 PM

Knowing Woodie has brought joy to me for many years, long before he began to make art, back when he was a banjo pickin' house painter. Potter Brown, another local avatar who left us too soon, introduced us too many years ago.

As Woodie's star rose in the art world he remained real as rain. He would call artists who were having a rough patch and offer his help without waiting to be asked.

His beloved wife Dot has taken such loving care of him all these years, my heart breaks for her in her loss.

The pictures are from my gallery opening in May 07.

See you on the otherside, Woodie.

Romeosmydog · 10-13-2009, 07:42 AM

This guy...this local legend. He was more than a painter. More than a artist. More than a philanthropist. He was a force. He was a fierce friend, loyal husband, devoted dad, proud pa-pa.

Woodie loved. Really loved his friends. If you were fortunate enough to know him, to sit in his gallery surrounded by the beauty of his art, and the warmth of his smile, the happiness in his heart then you know that you were loved by him. Every single solitary time when I hear Dread sing the line "Ain't got nothing but love" I think of Woodie and of Dot.

Hardly anyone I know owns just one Woodie Long creation. If you met him and purchased a painting, you instantly became a collector...wanting more and more. The simplistic beauty of his art was only a half of the experience. We all wanted some of the joy, innocence, serenity that came from the artist. (I always wanted more black beans, brown rice and garden greens..all served up with a warm smile from his beautiful wife and life partner Dot that always accompanied a visit to the gallery)

Our girls have lost one of the most prominent figures in their childhood. Our son has lost an opportunity to know the way it feels to be loved by such a great man...and our community has lost one of the most beautiful and loving men to ever grace us.

In the end I hope that the angels that took him home were just like the ones he painted. Stark white against brilliant blue skies, smiling down, arms open full of hope for a better place.

peaboy · 10-13-2009, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walton Outdoors

South Walton (and the planet) has lost a good soul. What an incredible illustrator of the simple life. Woody and his incredible artwork will be missed. I will never forget the "gator's gonna get you" ... those that have lived here a while will understand that one! God bless Woody, his beautiful art and his wonderful life! My condolences to Dot and family.

Woodie and I talked a lot over the years about the "Gator's gonna get you" task. That was an interesting time and Woodie and Dot gave so much for that cause. They hung in there with us till the end. That was a true time where the whole community came together as one. Woodie was a huge part.

kurt · 10-13-2009, 11:30 AM

Local folk artist Woodie Long dies at 66 | rosa, artist, santa - News - Northwest Florida Daily News

Quote:

Local folk artist Woodie Long died Monday night. He would have turned 67 on Oct. 19. When Long first picked up a paintbrush in 1987, he was 45 years old and had never painted anything smaller than a house. He had no formal training.

The paintbrush belonged to his wife, Dot, a portrait painter who was out of the house taking a class at the local university. When she came home, Long had finished three paintings.

She saw something in them. So did her art professor, who offered to buy them for $30 each.

Long kept those first paintings, but had his first show three weeks later. He brought 38 paintings and sold all but two, taking home $1,800.

CLIICK HERE to see photos of Woodies' studio.

Thirteen years later, his work was hanging in more than a dozen museums across the country and he estimated that he had sold 10,000 paintings.

His wife never painted again. Instead, she is her husband's bookkeeper and the one who sets the prices. The works of this former housepainter have brightened the covers of more than 30 publications and even the simplest of his paintings sold for hundreds of dollars.
"People come in," he said in a 2000 interview with the Daily News, smile lines wandering back to his hair. "They say, ‘Your works are expensive.’ I say, ‘Have you bought a van Gogh lately?' "

Artist Curtis Weatherall remembered meeting Long three or four years ago. He found Long sitting in his studio singing and playing a piano.

“He was a character, a great guy,” Weatherall said. “And he will definitely be missed.”
Long was one of 12 children born to a Plant City, Fla., sharecropper. He could not read or write very well, since his father didn't believe in school.

"I'm nothin'," he said. "I'm just a housepainter. The good Lord touched my hands and made me an overnight success.

"That's why they're goin' to put me in jail. For impersonating an artist. But they ain't done it yet."

whaddyasay · 10-13-2009, 11:45 AM

Woodie always said "I Love You" instead of Good-Bye.
I Love You Woodie.

Bobby J · 10-13-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whaddyasay

Woodie always said "I Love You" instead of Good-Bye.
I Love You Woodie.

So true... Not many men are man enough to do that. I love you Woodie.

MamaBear · 10-13-2009, 05:21 PM

About ten years ago, I was in Woodie's studio and saw this two dimensional piece -- a new form for him. I bought it as a birthday present to myself and smile everytime I walk past it. Thanks, Woodie, for creating art that will live on and continue to make people happy.

Smiling JOe · 10-14-2009, 08:02 AM

I never owned a "woodie," but everytime I saw one hanging in a friends house, it seemed to strike an emotion in me, not of jealousy for not having one myself, but of love for knowing Woodie, and the deep connections he made with people, many who also are my friends. I remember pedalling over to Woodie's place when I first moved to South Walton. We were neighbors, and I had heard about his art. I went over as a neighbor, but also with interest in seeing his art. The gallery was empty, so I wandered around looking and hoping to see my new neighbor (I was new, he was my neighbor.). I found Woodie out back, and introduced myself. Within two minutes, we were standing at the edge of his large garden, and he was giving me gardening tips for NW Florida, showing me his huge Okra plant, and talking about the winter greens which were next to be eaten. I'm not sure that we ended up looking at any of his art that day, at least what most of us think about as art. Woodie's true art was right there in his back yard -- a lush vegetable garden, and his love of nature, growth, and self-reliance. It was a true work of art.

Woodie, my friend, you took a little piece of each of us when you left, and you also will live a little longer in each of us whom you touched in your life. It has so much more to do with love and friendship than art, but your art will be a reminder of you, everytime we see a piece. Just two weeks ago, when driving through Andalusia, I smiled from ear to ear when I passed your gallery, after seeing the two murals on the outside. Your kindness and love will live forever.

Bobby J · 10-14-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smiling JOe

I never owned a "woodie," but everytime I saw one hanging in a friends house, it seemed to strike an emotion in me, not of jealousy for not having one myself, but of love for knowing Woodie, and the deep connections he made with people, many who also are my friends. I remember pedalling over to Woodie's place when I first moved to South Walton. We were neighbors, and I had heard about his art. I went over as a neighbor, but also with interest in seeing his art. The gallery was empty, so I wandered around looking and hoping to see my new neighbor (I was new, he was my neighbor.). I found Woodie out back, and introduced myself. Within two minutes, we were standing at the edge of his large garden, and he was giving me gardening tips for NW Florida, showing me his huge Okra plant, and talking about the winter greens which were next to be eaten. I'm not sure that we ended up looking at any of his art that day, at least what most of us think about as art. Woodie's true art was right there in his back yard -- a lush vegetable garden, and his love of nature, growth, and self-reliance. It was a true work of art.

Woodie, my friend, you took a little piece of each of us when you left, and you also will live a little longer in each of us whom you touched in your life. It has so much more to do with love and friendship than art, but your art will be a reminder of you, everytime we see a piece. Just two weeks ago, when driving through Andalusia, I smiled from ear to ear when I passed your gallery, after seeing the two murals on the outside. Your kindness and love will live forever.

So true SJ. Back when I had Collaborations people would often come into my store and say they did not "get" Woodies art. My next question was always, have you ever met him? Every time their answer was, no. Once you had the pleasure of meeting this amazing man it all made sense. His work was colorful, simple, happy, and playful. These are all the things we lose as we grow older. Woodie still had that. That special something we all wanted a little piece of. Something that we all yearn for but we just don't really know what it is. I would often stop by when stressed out and Woodie and Dot would always bring me back to my senses. They made me relax and smile.
I remember the first time I visited his gallery. I was also trying to figure out his artwork. I carried it. I was not in love with it at this time. It sold so I wanted to carry more. Simple math for me. I began to wonder about this stuff and went for a visit to see if I could figure it out. Woodie was out back painting. I watched for a few moments and he looked up at me as he finished and smiled. He said it was magic. I could tell he was as proud of that painting as any he had ever done. His simple joy made it all come together for me. It was not the art it was the person. He put a little bit of Woodie in all of his art. A little bit of Woodie made you want some more. My hope today is that Woodie knows he impacted and changed the lives of many people. I am very fortunate to have known this man and have 10 plus pieces as a constant reminder of how I should live my life. Once again, Woodie thanks for the memories. As Beverly once said, it looks like heaven needed a paint job.

Smiling JOe · 10-14-2009, 04:24 PM

Bobby J, people like Woodie, who live each day to the fullest, with nothing but love to share with others, surely know the impact they have on others. That is why they do what they do. Lots of love makes the world go around, and I am talking about many kinds of love. Love for all creatures, great and small, and not just love of living things, but of experiences and relationships, whether it is a person with a new face, or a close family member. People who live each day to the fullest, consider every day to be a bonus day in their lives. From what I know about Woodie, every day was indeed a bonus, to be treasured and shared.

Lots of love to Dot, who probably misses Woodie more than all of the rest of us combined.

Bobby J · 10-15-2009, 03:18 PM

I understand there will be a gathering in front of the Seaside Post office tomorrow morning at 9 AM. I do not have all the details but understand it will be one of many tributes and prayer sessions to this wonderful man and his family!

whaddyasay · 10-15-2009, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby J

I understand there will be a gathering in front of the Seaside Post office tomorrow morning at 9 AM. I do not have all the details but understand it will be one of many tributes and prayer sessions to this wonderful man and his family!

Yeah Bobby, I got an email from Susan Vallee about this but I don't think Dot will be there. I could be wrong, but I don't think she gets home til tonight. Maybe she'll be there. Love to hug her and find out what she needs for us to do, huh?

whaddyasay · 10-16-2009, 01:07 PM

Many people who loved Woodie came to Seaside this morning to tell Dot how much they love her and how much we'll miss Woodie.

Bobby J · 10-16-2009, 06:38 PM

Lots of tears, love and laughs. Just the way Woodie would have wanted it.

tampagirl · 10-17-2009, 04:18 PM

I was just wondering if, during all of these intimate conversations that everyone had with Woodie, did he ever mention the fact that he has two grown children, Jennifer and Rick, and four grandchildren, McKenzie, Kash, John Logan and Parker? In none of the posts on any website, inlcuding this one, are his children even slightly mentioned. Nor has anyone from the Seaside community contacted his children for any reason whatsoever, not even to clear the date for whatever memorials the community is having for their father. I know that Dot is in mourning, but she is not the only one. And I know that Woodie was special to the art community in the area, but believe me, the loss of the art community pales in comparison to the loss that his children and grandchildren are feeling right now. Just because they didn't live in the Santa Rosa beach area does not mean they don't exist. So please, could someone spare a thought for them and send some consideration their way?

Thank you.

Bobby J · 10-17-2009, 04:58 PM

tampagirl,

I think some of that confusion was where Woodie was when he left this earth. He was not at home. Local folks had no clear direction on this. I do not believe any offense was meant. Woodie truly impacted this community and I feel many folks were just in shock. He did mention his children often and was very proud of his grandchildren. The little tribute on Friday was a simple impromptu get together put on by the Seaside community. More directly Seaside Associated Store. I think the only ones that knew about it in the beginning were those on the Seaside email list. It grew from there. Rick was actually present and if you look at the above pics you will see him standing next to Dot. He spoke at the tribute and seemed very grateful to everyone.
The family must truly be hurting and I feel I can speak for the community when I say our prayers are with Woodie and his entire family as they go through this difficult time.

tampagirl · 10-17-2009, 06:47 PM

Bobby J:

I totally appreciate how things snowball in these situations. However, Woodie's daughter has a name. She is Jennifer. She lives in Tampa, and has two children, and can't just buzz up to the Panhandle at a moment's notice. All I'm asking is that her input be considered for any future tributes, which shouldn't be so spur of the moment. She is also an amazing person who has left her own mark on her community, and would be an asset at any function involving her father.

If you are "in the know" in Seaside, please feel free to let me know if you don't know how to reach Jennifer for any future plans.

Bobby J · 10-17-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tampagirl

Bobby J:

I totally appreciate how things snowball in these situations. However, Woodie's daughter has a name. She is Jennifer. She lives in Tampa, and has two children, and can't just buzz up to the Panhandle at a moment's notice. All I'm asking is that her input be considered for any future tributes, which shouldn't be so spur of the moment. She is also an amazing person who has left her own mark on her community, and would be an asset at any function involving her father.

If you are "in the know" in Seaside, please feel free to let me know if you don't know how to reach Jennifer for any future plans.

Please tell Jennifer we are keeping her in our prayers.