>>> CHARLIE FRYE, KNOWN BY MANY AS JUST FRYE, IS A LOCAL GUY
WHO'S PROUD OF HIS FAMILY HERITAGE AND HIS HOMETOWN OF
LENOIR.
AND THIS SELF-TAUGHT FOLK ARTIST AND MUSICIAN IS DETERMINED TO
USE HIS TALENT TO TELL THE WORLD HOW SPECIAL THIS COMMUNITY IN
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA IS.
[PLAYING BLUES ON HARMONICA].
>> WE'RE LENOIR.
WE'RE UNIQUE.
AND WE'RE -- WE'RE -- WE'RE NOT ASHEVILLE OR -- OR RALEIGH OR
CHARLOTTE.
WE'RE -- WE'RE A SMALL TOWN THAT IS TRYING TO FIND A NEW IDENTITY
AND TRYING TO MAKE OUR OWN WAY AGAIN.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE ARE.
>> HE BRINGS A FEELING OF WHAT WE -- WHAT WE CARE ABOUT, WHAT
WE LOVE IN OUR WORLD.
HE -- WHEN HE PAINTS, HE PAINTS THINGS THAT -- THAT HE SEES.
HE PAINTS THINGS THAT ARE A PART OF OUR WORLD HERE IN LENOIR,
NORTH CAROLINA.
>> CHARLIE'S STUDIO IS LOCATED ON MAIN STREET ON THE SECOND
FLOOR ABOVE THE HIGHLAND COFFEE HOUSE.
IT'S FILLED WITH FOLK ART, AN ECCENTRIC, CREATIVE STYLE OF ART
KNOWN FOR ITS FREEDOM OF PERSONAL EXPRESSION.
>> I THINK THAT'S WHAT -- WHAT FOLK ART IS TO ME, IS
PAINTING -- SHARING YOUR STORY AND NOT HAVING TO HAVE A PICTURE
TO GO BY TO DO IT.
>> HE CREATES A WORLD THAT I ONCE KNEW IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND
I GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT AGAIN.
>> I THINK IT IS VERY COLORFUL.
IT ALMOST LOOKS ANIMATED, WHICH IT IS.
>> SUBJECT MATTER COULD RANGE FROM FIDDLERS, MOONSHINERS,
BARNYARD CHICKENS, AND SOMETHING HE CALLS A PIG-HEADED BIRD
BRAIN.
>> THE BIRD BRAIN IS REALLY LETTING -- LETTING TECHNOLOGY
MAKE YOUR DECISIONS FOR YOU AS OPPOSED TO LIVING YOUR LIFE.
WHEN I PUT A LITTLE BIRD ON -- ON AN ANIMAL OR A PERSON'S HEAD,
THAT'S SORT OF WHAT I'M SAYING.
>> SHARING THE LOCAL FOLKLORE THROUGH HIS PAINTINGS KEEPS
CHARLIE CONNECTED TO HIS DEEP FAMILY ROOTS IN CALDWELL COUNTY,
BUT ANOTHER PASSION HE HAS IS TEACHING.
>> I'M GOING TO START OFF BY DOING A DEMONSTRATION OF A LINE
DRAWING OF AN OWL.
AND YOU'RE GONNA -- YOU'RE GONNA DO A DRAWING USING --
>> I DID LEARN THAT YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR IMAGINATION OF DRAWING
AND USING YOUR BRAIN.
SOMETIMES I DRAW LIKE A PENGUIN AND THEN LOOK AT A PICTURE AND
SAY THAT'S NOT PERFECT AND THINK IN MY MIND THAT'S NOT PERFECT,
BUT IT'S STILL WHAT I'D IMAGINE IN MY MIND WHAT A PENGUIN WOULD
LOOK LIKE.
>> AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO TAKE A BREAK FROM PAINTING, CHARLIE AND
ONE OF HIS STUDENTS REACH FOR THEIR GUITAR AND BLUES HARP, AND
WHAT COMES NEXT IS SIMPLY AMAZING.
[PLAYING BLUES MUSIC] >> YOU BUY ART BECAUSE IT SPEAKS
TO YOU, BECAUSE YOU LIKE HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL.
AND THAT'S WHY I PAINT.
I MEAN, GOODNESS, BETWEEN PAINTING AND HARMONICA AND
CARVING AND JUST SPENDING TIME WITH MY FAMILY, YOU KNOW,
EVERYTHING THAT I DO IS STUFF THAT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD.
>> IT'S WHEN A PIECE OF CHARLIE FRYE'S ART GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE,
NOT ONLY IN NORTH CAROLINA, BUT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, AND
MAYBE EVEN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE
ALL THE PIECES MIGHT BE, BUT IT'S A PART OF LENOIR THAT'S
GOING THERE.
>> HIS ART IS VERY FOLKSY, APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.
THERE'S -- THERE'S A LOT OF PASSION IN HIS WORK.
>> AND FOR INSPIRATION, CHARLIE RELIES ON PAST MEMORIES, BUT
SOMETIMES IT REQUIRES A TRIP TO THE FAMILY FARM IN HIS OLD TRUCK
NAMED MINNIE PEARL.
>> THE MAIN THING I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE WITH MY WORK IS JUST, UH,
HOW MUCH I LOVE DOING IT AND HOW MUCH I LOVE, UH, MY HOME.
SO WHEN SOMEBODY WALKS AWAY WITH A PICTURE, I JUST WANT THEM TO
WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE THEY HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE.
HOPEFULLY, THEY'VE HAD A GOOD -- A GOOD LAUGH AND TOLD SOME
STORIES AND HAD A GOOD TIME.