Charlie Lucas

Charlie Lucas was born Oct 12, 1951, in Birmingham, Alabama and was raised in Elmore County, north of Montgomery, Alabama. His great-grandfather, Cain Jackson, a blacksmith, introduced him to metalworking and allowed him to experiment with his tools. Charlie, who loved to make things he called “toys” was intrigued. After dropping out of school in the 4^th grade, Charlie worked odd jobs until a severe back injury in 1984 forced him to re-think the direction of his life.  He underwent successful back surgery and afterward, Lucas asked God to provide him with a talent no one else had. He believes God gave him the ability to return to the metalworking he remembered as a child and to become an artist.

From discarded scraps of metal, old car parts, and twisted wire, Lucas began fashioning sculptures inspired by family, animals, or social issues. He built his work around stories and searched for personal meaning in the assembled metal. Lucas added painting to his repertoire in the late ’80s and later yet, he began combining painting and sculpture.

In the 1980’s Lucas was gaining recognition as an artist. The attention of galleries, museums, and collectors followed. Frequently referred to as the “Tin Man,” he was included in the 1988 ground-breaking exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, “Outside the Mainstream; Folk Art in Our Time.”