Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated biography of the renowned Southern folk artist includes nearly 100 images, plus commentary from the artist herself. Exuberant colors, bold strokes, and everyday images of rural Southern life typify Clementine Hunter’s folk art. Born in Louisiana in 1887, Hunter spent most of her life working in cotton fields at Melrose Plantation. She only began painting in her fifties, and it was several more years before her talent was recognized. Nearly 100 images of Hunter’s art are presented in this extensive biography, drawn from the many public and private collections of her work. Several paintings are accompanied by Hunter’s own commentary on a variety of subjects, including marriage, baptism, money, and death. François Mignon, her close friend and the librarian of Melrose, was instrumental in the promotion of Hunter’s paintings. Excerpts of his letters to James Register, an art collector and dealer who specialized in Hunter’s works, chronicle her growth and development as a major contemporary artist.