transcendence, which feeds their
paintings, provided the perfect
storm for Jim to make his case.
The financial worth of artworks
has skyrocketed, along with other
luxury items, since the millennium
(think Van Gogh, Jackson Pollack,
Jeff Koons). Artwork is seen as an
investment as well as an indication
of one’s social standing, if not his
sophistication.
Everything comes at a cost,
and some of the Highwaymen
have expressed their unhappiness
about the name. I have heard
two complaints. One centers
on the sentiments expressed in
Alfred Noyes’ poem set in the
18th century about love, loss and
revenge around a Highwayman,
a robber of travelers. Mary Ann
Carroll best expresses the other
complaint when she says, “nobody
asked me.” These are valid points
to which I always nod in agreement
but hastily add that the cohort of
artists could not have paid Madison
Avenue enough money to come up
with a more effective name.
By the way, their moniker is
not, nor ever was, “The Florida
Highwaymen”, or “The Legendary
Highwaymen.” The name to many
conjures the notion of these artists
setting up the paintings at the side
of roads, but this was not the case.
They weren’t peddling chenille
bedspreads or paintings on velvet
at corner gas stations.
Continued on Page 47
These days Jim spends a lot
of his time in his workshop.
(shown below) Jim explains,
”When my wife of 64 years
passed away I had to do
something to keep what sanity
I had left, and developed the
Highwayman Line Of Cypress
& Pine, home decor and art.
Like a Highwayman painting,
It’s All about Florida.”
45
”Don’t look
prosperous
when buying
art.”
—Jim Fitch