Folk artist William L. Hawkins was born in rural Kentucky in 1895, coming north in 1916. His early years in Kentucky provided him with his knowledge and love of animals, an awareness that is seen even in his most fantastic dinosaur paintings. Influenced by his grandmother who took part in the African American tradition of quilt making, Hawkins' paintings show many similarities -- including exploding color schemes, various materials used within a single piece and an improvisational repetitive pattern.

In Columbus, Ohio, Hawkins, barely able to read and write, held an assortment of unskilled jobs, drove a truck, and even ran a small brothel. He was married twice and claimed to have fathered some twenty children. Although Hawkins was d...