Lot 171
Jake "J.T." McCord (American, 1948-2009). House and Fence. House paint on board, 2000. Signed and dated at upper left. Jake "J.T." McCord's painting, dated 2000, presents a quiet, almost devotional portrait of a rural home nestled in a vast expanse of green. Executed on a full sheet of plywood in McCord's hallmark flat planes of color, the work radiates his deeply personal, handcrafted vision of Southern life. The house is rendered in dark brown with a weighty black roof, its windows glowing with a yellow warmth that suggests presence just behind the surface. At its side, a loosely structured chimney of jumbled red bricks climbs upward - its irregular, almost childlike geometry lending the building a kind of precarious charm. A simple wooden fence stretches across the horizon, segmenting the land like memory sections time. Size: 48" L x 24" W (121.9 cm x 61 cm)
The lush green field that surrounds the house feels as essential to the painting as the house itself - an echo of McCord's nearly four decades tending the land as Thomson's city groundskeeper. That connection to the earth, to open space and slow growth, breathes through the brushwork here. As in much of McCord's art, there is an uncanny balance between order and oddity, silence and presence. What first appears naive reveals, on closer inspection, an artist attuned to place, labor, and the quiet poetry of home.
About the artist: Jake McCord was a self-taught artist whose bold, unvarnished portraits offer a compelling window into rural Southern life. Based in the small town of Thomson, Georgia, McCord spent much of his life working as the city's groundskeeper - a position he held for thirty-nine years. Despite no formal training, he developed a fiercely individualistic visual language, painting emotionally charged, nearly life-sized figures on large sheets of plywood. His work is deeply rooted in place, drawing on the people, surroundings, and contradictions of the Deep South.
Rather than pursuing gallery representation or formal exhibitions during his lifetime, McCord took a grassroots approach. He first displayed his works on the front porch of his modest home, hammering them up with little concern for presentation - nail holes at the top and corners remain as a record of this early form of community engagement. For McCord, art was not a private pursuit but a public one; each piece had to be seen by his neighbors before it could go anywhere else. His paintings were confrontational yet accessible, strange yet familiar, often evoking the oddball charm of a known town eccentric. But beneath their bright colors and seemingly disarming characters lies a deeper psychological edge: figures grimace, not smile; eyes glare rather than gaze. His subjects feel frozen in uneasy standoffs, their expressions caught between resistance and vulnerability.
Most of McCord's works are painted on both sides of a single panel, creating a duality that further complicates the viewer's experience. Though simple in composition - typically divided into two fields of color representing land and sky - his works achieve a visual and emotional intensity through their scale, palette, and presence. Since his death in 2009, McCord's reputation has grown beyond his local community. A number of his paintings are now held by the McDuffie Museum, which preserves part of his porch as a permanent tribute.
Jake McCord's art defies easy categorization. While his work resonates with themes often associated with outsider or folk art, it also challenges such labels through its raw immediacy and psychological complexity. His paintings are both records of a specific time and place and enduring portraits of human individuality - unfiltered, unapologetic, and unforgettable.
Provenance: private Rochester, Minnesota, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
SHIPPING EXCEPTIONS: Due to customs clearance issues, we are unable to ship to Germany, Switzerland and Australia. If you live in Germany, Switzerland or Australia, you will need to provide an alternate shipping destination, or we will not be able to complete your purchase. In addition, please note that we are unable to ship ancient items back to the original country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.)
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: Unless a known customer of Artemis, payment for all gold / precious metal / gem lots must be made via Bank Wire Transfer or Certified Bank Check/Money Order, no exceptions.
#192972
- Condition: Signed and dated at upper left. Old nail hole from artist's display outside of his home at top periphery. Patina to surface that can be easily cleaned, but otherwise, in very good overall condition.
Accepted Forms of Payment:
American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Shipping
Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense
Artemis Fine Arts
You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 27.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.
View full terms and conditions
| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |