Roy Mclendon (1932 - )
Born: Pelham, Georgia
Roy Mclendon was born in Pelham, Georgia, there were fourteen children in his family twelve boys and two girls. Roy moved to Florida and eventually settled in Gifford in the 1950's. Mclendon always enjoyed drawing as a child and was inspired to start painting after noticing his neighbor Harold Newton was always painting in his yard. Roy would watch Harold paint and would ask questions and before long was creating his own paintings. Through Harold Newton Mclendon formed a close association with Alfred Hair and some of the other Fort Pierce artists including Mary Ann Carrol, James Gibson and Livingston Roberts. In his early 20s, Roy married Annabelle, who was four years older together they have eight children, two boys and six girls.
As Roy continued to paint, his work got better. Harold Newton noticed his progress and encouraged him to take a few of his landscapes to an antique shop to sell. Much to his delight, they sold for $35 a piece, a good bit of money in those days. He soon began selling his paintings on the road and experienced more success. Encouraged by his good fortune, he stopped working other jobs and focused full time on his paintings. It was the mid-1960s and his career as an artist was taking off. Roy used his own car for selling, and like many other Highwaymen, he sold his paintings to banks, restaurants, and any office building he could find.
It is Roy’s subject matter that sets him apart from the other Highwaymen, as it is more wide ranging. He paints traditional Highwaymen landscapes, still lifes, houses and animals, in addition unlike most of the other painters in the group, Roy is comfortable including people in his scenes.
Roy Mclendon Biography information: obtained from website thehighwaymentrail.com. This website is a fantastic reference to learn about the 26 Florida Highwaymen artists and their importance to Florida's history.