Sam Doyle (1906-1985)

Sam Doyle , Folk Artist  known for his   primitive portraits, was born near Frogmore, South Carolina, on St. Helena Island, a fairly remote place that for generations was traditionally a black island. The lore of Doyle's forebearers and the incidents of his own youth are still vivid in his paintings and drawings, done in enamel paint of sheet metal. They depict the islanders of Doyle's own life; Dr. Buzzard, the island's richest black and a voodoo doctor, who received his inspiration by listening in a conch shell; WeWe, also known as Le Bit, the smallest woman on the island; Miss Full Back ("I named her that because of her shape," Doyle explains); Reverend Catchit ("You catch it from him on Sunday") and Try Me ("That's what she said, 'Try me'").