Al Black Paintings

Al "Blood" Black is one of the most elusive Highwaymen artists: almost no biographical data is publicly available about him, including his date and place of birth. In his early years of painting he seldom gave interviews, although he was well known for his productive sales techniques and he is know to speak prolifically when promoting his work. It is possible that he painted additions to some of Alfred Hair's work, and sold paintings for some of the other Highwaymen artists while he learned to paint through observation.

Black has claimed several times that he taught himself to paint by fixing work in his possession that became smudged during transport for sale. Black has been in and out of prison for drug and fraud charges while battling his addiction to cocaine. During his prison time, Al was given the opportunity to paint murals on the walls of The Central Florida Reception Center where he was housed. Current information indicates that Black has been released from prison and is again producing oil paintings on canvas for sale.

Al Black paintings are characterized by the inclusion of sea birds in his Florida coastal landscapes. Al commonly includes three white birds flying through crisp blue skies in his work- he says the birds are representative of the Holy Trinity. Black sometimes adds a fourth bird that lags behind the others to his paintings, which he claims signifies himself.

Each of the Al Black paintings have a serene and peaceful feeling, and showcase the natural beauty of undeveloped Florida without the angst or jarring colours some Highwaymen art contains. Al Black began his career as an artist with the standard Highwaymen tools, producing his early work on upson board with oil paints and crown moulding frames. Al is the most experimental of the Highwaymen in terms of media, and has at times utilized acrylic paints, produced wall murals in oil, and painted on canvas.

There're usually some works of Al Black on sale and you can see some Al Black paintings listed below.