EARLY 1960'S M.A. CARROLL HIGHWAYMEN OIL ON BOARD
Mary Ann Carroll (b. 1940), Florida Highwaymen artist, early oil on upson board depicting a Florida wetland at sunrise with lavender sky. Signed in the lower right corner. Board size is 36 x 24". Unframed.
Provenance: Florida Art Collection of Jack Barnhill (1918 - 2015). This collection was acquired throughout the 1970’s. Jack lived an intriguing life, engaging in a wide variety of endeavors, including photographer, inventor, collector, trader, museum owner, and firearm dealer. He grew up splitting time between Florida and New Mexico, where his father was engaged in many businesses. As a young man he wrestled alligators at his father's Trading Post in Dania, FL. And then, at the age of 13 he opened his first Trading Post in New Mexico, where he bought and traded Native American pottery and baskets. As an adult, Jack began running businesses in Florida and Michigan. For over 40 years, he shuttled between St. Ignace, MI where he ran a very successful tourist business (Treasure Island) in the summer, and Plantation, FL in the winter. His Michigan business began with a simple tourist shop and expanded over the years to include a Museum, 100,000 gallon aquarium, and passenger boat line. The museum housed thousands of items, including Native American artifacts, shipwreck coins and cannons, and antique arms. The aquarium hosted all sorts of sea life, including sharks and sea turtles which Jack shipped up from Florida. After learning to fly, Jack even purchased a seaplane and began flying passengers to the wilds of Canada. Following retirement from the tourist business in Michigan, Jack remained full-time in Florida.

Jack is the son of E.G. Barnhill, a well-known Florida adventurer, inventor, photographer, and entrepreneur. Gary Monroe (Professor of Fine Arts and Photography at Daytona State College, and Author of multiple books on the Florida Highwaymen) recently published a book on E.G. Barnhill, titled: “E.G. Barnhill: Florida Photographer, Adventurer, Entrepreneur” (March 2016, University Press of Florida).

Good. Minor loss to edges from previous frame.