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From the clock tower
Fell the gong of heavy hours like the hammer falls to the anvil
And shatters into fragments of minutes
And on their dying ways, sounds are smothered
And lost in the leaves.
Dark silence slumbers like something very old.
The heavy sleeping stones are sunk in this shroud of silence
And then a voice, a song, comes from some
High window there
Singing sweet, so lovely, releasing an
Overfilled heart of joy. And then slowly,
Lowly it fades out and all consciousness
Rides out on the last soft sound.
Night has her way has all in her spell
Has me and I sleep.
As the mellow moon rides high in night, she splashes
The leaves with a bit of her gold.

Taormina Tower

Date: 1966
Medium: Casein on board
Size: 32” x 15”
Original frame: 391/4” x 22 3/16”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom right

Descriptive title above for reference

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Mockingbird

Date: 1966
Medium: Casein on board
Size: 181/4”x 141/2”
Original frame: 271/2” x 23 5/8”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left vertical

Titled by artist; original title "Mockingbird and the Jewess Lady";
was commissioned by a Florida patron and refused, then resold
November 25, 1966

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Flowers for Life – Soul of a Chair

Date: 1966
Medium: Casein on board
Size: 361/8” x 221/4”
Original frame: 403/8” x 261/2”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left

Titled by artist; original title and date: "California Flowers 10/7/66";
retitled: "Flowers for Life — Soul of a Chair"; published in Life magazine

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Noah’s Ark

Date: mid or late ’60s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 34” x 24”
Original frame: 40” x 30”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom right

Titled by artist

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Who is the blue-eyed
summer boy
whose arms hang like music,
who sprawls in rhythms
ah, morning glories in his eyes
and sweet-corn scented hair?

That boy yonder
sprawling in the meadow’s lap
studying the pink carnation
twined between his toes.

Flower Vendor

Date: 1967
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 101/8” x 139/16”
Original frame: 113/4” x 159/16”
Signed: “Faulkner 67” bottom right

Titled by artist; inscription on back; "Given to Greene Settle Jr.
by Henry L Faulkner December 1, 1967"

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Midway

Undated: ’60s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 131/8”x 20”
Original frame: 221/2”x 251/2”
Signed: “Faulkner” top left

Titled by artist; Railroad Street, Midway, Kentucky

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A Garden for Poem for Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
potted by his pool
Undated: ’60s The crown of thorns
Medium: Oil on board symbolic, bloom
Size: 161/8” x 201/8” blood bright flowers -
Original frame: 20” x 24” dedicated where he
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left weeps
in his own words
Titled by artist He bleeds and
the crimson shutters
tell more of the architecture
of madness
from the balconies
of God’s mind
He sits in floral wicker
rendering his dedications
falling from hell
and heaven, eternally
like confetti.
The sage of letters
and of love cries hard
From the hard candy
of his childhood
yea the hard candy of his heart.
Oh come, all ye faithful
praise him grandly
from his mouth; his very
hands come the butterflies
of poetry
In the lanterns of his mind
He is the sweet harmonica
of the south.

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Black Rastas with Birds

Undated: ’60s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 18 3/8” x 14”
Original frame: 213/8” x 17”
Signed: “Faulkner” top left

Titled by artist; Black Rastas was one of Faulkner's favorite cats

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Strawberries in Alice’s Cup

Undated: ’60s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 97/8” x 97/8”
Frame: 1015/16”x 1015/16”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom right

Descriptive title above for reference; Alice the goat painted on the cup

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From Venus unto brightness beyond cerulean beyond cobalt
more than Venus to the ultimate whiteness
and the day after beginning brightness
there was dominico the stone will wash away
and Venus playing like a ribbon but not the spirit
in the mind of God you cannot go, you can only
if he confer such glory remain forever in God
we become anesthetized death is a word nothing else
in the world of roses go pay your bliss
For the roses of sleep make sweet company with him
are sweet mind is eternal and oh the last day
over all there will be you will finally know the
no parting for the spirit meaning of your name Gracie
Is forever incensed consignment in this weakness Faulknarian garble
night after nights Sidonian madness Gracie only means . . . liberation!!
through all the dimensions
of Arabian colors Faulkner

Terraces in Taormina

Undated: ’60s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 131/8”x 20”
Original frame: 155/8”x 221/2”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom center

Descriptive title above for reference

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Floral in Black and Blue Vase

Undated: ’60s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 20” x 16”
Original frame: 241/2” x 201/2”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left

Titled by artist

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Aesthetic Mind – Soul of a Violin

Date: 1968
Medium: Acrylic on board
Size: 227/8” x 97/8”
Original frame: 251/8” x 12”
Signed: “Faulkner” top left

Titled by artist

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Leaning Tower I asked the winds of night “is there a star bird
That whirs around the stars
Undated: ’60s Creating a wind that makes us dream?”
Medium: Oil on board (Never was God so big as he has been tonight;)
Size: 27 3/4” x 17 3/4” (I felt his being big, and larger in his might.)
Original frame: 20 3/4” x 13 3/4” Heaven and earth and I and God were met,
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left I had a rendezvous with him.
We talked about the earth and man
Titled by artist And storms of music in the spring.
And something he did say of stone and seed;
How silence works on the texture of the soul,
And he said something powerful about the dead . . . . .
And how the earth hungers to replace its bread.
And then God opened dinner doors to happiness
On lands where sun melts grapes to instant wine,
And the rocks bled honey and youngness is a symbol of this time,
Where children run around shaking dew from their hair
And picking berries, from the moons of milk . . . . .
And he showed me the valley of hope
Where some strange gravity
Kept time away from its boundaries.
On its shores I saw his footprints
And, in a garden, a tree of lips blooming
The sun was tied to the garden gate.
I saw a bluebird with David’s eyes,
The young boys were roaming ‘round throwing stars.
And, in another garden, I heard the souls of men

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Iroquois Hunt Club Walnut Leaves

Undated: ’60s or early ’70s Our joy and our sorrow
Medium: Casein on board Is the same Truth.
Size: 123/8” x 151/2” It is merely our lifve.
Original frame: 175/16”x 201/4” Our soul is a memory of Him.
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left One who created us in His own image
Wanting to be young again.
Titled by artist; the Iroquois Hunt Club is a foxhunting Our birth is only the opening
club located on Grimes Mill Road, Lexington, Kentucky Of peach seeds, planted by God,
And we are only another tree
In the high hills of memory,
Sweet and bitter in youth
Recalling the adolescence of one
Who cannot bear to forget
And green walnut leaves
Some springtime long ago.

Henry Lawrence Faulkner

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The Blue Hairdo

Undated: ’60s possibly early ’70s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 13” x 16”
Original frame: 151/2”x 181/2”
Signed: “Faulkner” left of center, interior

Titled by artist

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Catania Elephant

Date: ’69 or ’70
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 6 3/4” x 9 3/8”
Original frame: 10 x3/4” 133/8
Signed: “Faulkner” vertically right

Descriptive title above for reference; in a black flat frame with
scrolling brushstrokes and a decorative crescent moon and
splattered stars; the elephant is a symbol of Catania, Italy;
painted in Italy and brought to Kentucky by patron

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New Orleans Street

Undated
Medium: Casein on illustration board glued to Masonite
Size: 135/8” x 215/8”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom right

Titled by artist; width condensed for page layout

all rights reserved 178 178

I shine . . . Directly
and obliquely.
the flowers of my heart
. . . Bleeding . . .
Alive the colored glass
of my mind . . . shines
for you . . .
Oh the glorious nightmares
of flowers . . .
are my dreams and honey.
God is mad with color
multiplying the rainbow
Angels are preparing
new tables . . .
Of his great delight.

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The Accomplished Years
1970 - 1981

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Photo: © Unknown / Paul and Cindy Olsen On arrival, Faulkner made his way to Perugia, where he
got a room and stayed for about two months. He brushed up
Faulkner singing the blues at a nightclub, most likely in Key West at on his Italian at the Foreign University and bought as many
Capt. Tony’s Saloon or possibly in Taormina, Sicily, at Mocambo Bar old ornate frames as his room could hold. With Christmas
in the early ’70s approaching, it was time to grace Taormina and Casa Cuseni
with his presence. He rented a car and piled in all the frames
THE ACCOMPLISHED YEARS with just enough room for himself, his driver, and his furred
1970 – 1981 and feathered companions. The passengers included dogs
Gentry, Lady, and their oversized puppy named Onassis; and
With his Key West house on Peacon Lane rented, excitement cats Black Rastas, his black Persian; his white Persian, Gerolomo;
peaked as Faulkner boarded the Federico C on October 19, 1969, his pedigree Siamese, Esquire; and Black Sister, his half-Siamese
bound for Italy’s largest port, Genoa. Daphne Phelps recounts who was expecting Esquire’s kittens. Last on board were two
having first received notice of his impending return in a letter tabbies and a newly acquired white drake he had just rescued
written on pale green paper, saying that he was on an ocean liner from the Perugia marketplace.
and terribly excited because he would be arriving in Italy the
next day. At the bottom he had written: “PS. I have three dogs The tightly packed group arrived at Casa Cuseni on
and six cats with me, but don’t worry.”18 Christmas Eve at 9:40 p.m. Phelps recalls she was “not
exactly idle,” yet she was willing to receive Faulkner and his
entourage wholeheartedly just as Faulkner had assumed.19 His
obliviousness to the hour of his brash arrival on a holiday
set the tone for what became, in the months that followed, a
colorful year indeed.

During the next several weeks, Faulkner painted in the
mountains and re-established connections with the shops and
taverns along Corso Umberto. He also reunited with Giovanni
Panarello and became better acquainted with his brother, Carlo,
and Carlo's wife, Mirella. They also owned an antique shop
down the street from Giovanni’s. Faulkner had great respect
for Mirella’s education and opinions, and they quickly became
close. Carlo, as a businessman, offered to act as his art agent.
Faulkner thoroughly enjoyed the couple’s company, and they
were committed to helping him make money. He glided back
and forth between Carlo and Mirella’s exquisite home above their
shop and Casa Cuseni, enjoying the company of the Panarellos,
as well as Phelps, as he once again painted in the elegant gardens
of the stately villa that had so stimulated his imagination eight
years earlier.

In Taormina, his pets continued to be a prominent part
of his life. And despite all the attention they needed, he was
never averse to taking on another. Faulkner returned to Casa

181 N o t f o r R e p r o d u c t i o n

Cuseni from the mountians one afternoon with yet another
rescue, a baby goat he named Massimo. Almost immediately
the kid fell deathly ill and the hysterical nighttime calls and
visits that followed were characteristic of the ever present
Faulkner drama while demonstrating his love for animals.

Faulkner’s second stay in Taormina, unfortunately, was
interrupted. He had to return to Kentucky for over a month
to deal with property issues, leaving Phelps to tend to his dogs
and cats as well as the new drake and mountain goat. After his
return to Sicily, he left for England seeking medical care for

Photo: © Fausto Renda / iStock
Photo: © Brian Jannesen / Almay
Stone cherubs outside Carlo and Mirella Panarello’s antique shop
Along Corso Umberto approaching Taormina’s main square along Corso Umberto, where Faulkner visited and stayed during
and the clock tower in Piazza IX Aprile decorated for Christmas his second trip to Taormina

his arthritis and a hip ailment from which he had been suffering
for some time. The specialist he sought in Manchester declined to
give him the hip joint implantation that Faulkner believed would
solve the problem. Phelps traveled to London to join him where
they toured the National Gallery and other cultural sites. Back
in Italy, Faulkner continued to buy antiques and ship them back
to Lexington. Still plagued by the pain in his hip, he did not let it
completely hamper his remaining time in Taormina. He resumed
painting and occasionally sang with the house band at Mocambo
Bar, cheered by the company and comforted by the atmosphere.

a l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d 182

People and places change over time and naturally Faulkner’s Photo: © Faulkner / Faulkner-Morgan Pagan Babies Archive packed it full, although at the last moment he was convinced
second trip to Taormina was different than the first. Yet it still that the drake and the now rather large mountain goat, Massimo,
provided invaluable experiences and he made new contacts, should be left behind. Phelps amicably agreed to look after both.
while maintaining old ties. After his lengthy stay, Faulkner He had arranged for shipping to Lexington most of the antiques
left Taormina in relatively good standing with most of the and frames he had acquired, while the majority of the paintings
community and after much insistence, he received a promise were to go to Gordon R. Ball at Canavest House in Toronto
from Phelps that she would come for a visit in Lexington soon. for port of entry and safekeeping. Peter Schlesinger at Canavest
House had also agreed to help with sales and distribution of
In preparation for his fall departure by freighter from Naples, Faulkner’s new Italian work. Just before he was ready to say
Faulkner purchased an old American-made station wagon and goodbye to Taormina, Faulkner realized he needed a second car
and driver to get all his accompanying goods and animals to
Daphne Phelps on the porch of Casa Cuseni holding a drake that Naples. Luckily, he found both at the last minute.
Faulkner rescued in the marketplace on his second visit to Taormina;
photo taken by Faulkner Barely arriving before the freighter set out for the high seas,
the necessary documents for Faulkner’s embarkation were in
total disarray, including the inoculation papers for his pet family,
which now included Black Sister’s six kittens. His cargo created
a stir with the ship’s captain when Faulkner discovered one of
his youngest babies was missing. The old station wagon that
had been lowered and locked down in the hold contained a
lost kitten, and Faulkner, hysterical, desperately pleaded with
the captain to reopen the hold to rescue it. After an exhausting
altercation, the captain surrendered, the kitten was liberated,
and the ship sailed on to Fort Lauderdale.

Faulkner arrived back in Florida to affairs not quite in order,
although Greene Settle, with the help of Bob Morgan and Marian
Broadus, had tried to keep pace with the issues that had arisen
in Faulkner’s absence. City officials had placed a tax lien on the
Key West home and his mail contained notices from the Internal
Revenue Service demanding back taxes. There were also letters
from galleries trying to track down art and paperwork, and letters
from less-than-happy patrons and clients with inquiries regarding
unfinished commissions. Problems had followed him home from
Italy as well. There was a letter from Giovanni Panarello seeking
payment for antiques shipped from his store.

In Lexington, crates of antiques continued arriving at the
West Third Street house, which was already overflowing with
furniture and sundry things. The Jessamine County farm stood
in disrepair and the animals needed a lot of attention. Then
there was his foster mother, Dora, who was advancing in age,

183 N o t f o r R e p r o d u c t i o n

Photo: © Faulkner / Faulkner-Morgan Pagan Babies Archive James Hunt Barker, had opened a gallery on Nantucket Island
and offered to represent him. Faulkner was also included in an
Black Rastas posing on a table with a vase in front of a blue umbrella important group of expatriate Kentucky artists whose work was
in the outdoor gardens of Casa Cuseni; Faulkner used a camera as being shown at the J.B. Speed Museum in Louisville. In addition,
well as sketches to reference ideas for future paintings he had wisely maintained his relationship with Closson’s, which
made a deal to distribute Faulkner art to Hirschl & Adler Galleries
whom he had not been in contact with for quite some time. His in New York. Once again, Faulkner was rising to the challenges.
many responsibilities required immediate attention in Florida,
Lexington, and Falling Timber Branch, not to mention it was But a reignited career was not a complete financial fix, especially
important to regain contact with galleries that represented him since the increasing demands of his lifestyle created new and often
from Toronto to Key West. impulsive expenses. On the business side, he pursued additional
sales by taking commissions directly from clients. These buyers
These were daunting tasks but Faulkner, with help, began to often made special requests, for example, to produce a version
catch up and put things back together. Paintings got finished, of a painting they had seen previously. Thus, Faulkner would
Settle unraveled financial issues, and Morgan, with crews of young recreate previous works. He might be commissioned to paint a
day laborers, restored some order to the properties. Fortunately, specific street scene or a patron’s house, or often he would be
the house on Arlington Avenue had been sold – one less thing on asked to replicate one of his earlier masterpieces, like the original
his list of worries. All the while, Faulkner’s deteriorating physical Noah’s Ark (see pg. 152). It goes without saying that such efforts
condition from the arthritic hip and other ailments was taking a could reflect less creativity, energy, and time commitment.
physical and a creative toll.
Faulkner partnered with a printmaker in 1971 to produce a
After some control was returned to the home front, Faulkner commercial print of that year’s Kentucky Derby Winner’s Circle.
began to focus on new paintings and succeeded in making his The frame-shop style signed and numbered offset lithograph –
work available to new markets. His fellow artist from Palm Beach, an edition of 2,500 – was undeniably inferior; it was produced
using a commercial printing process and could not compare with
the vivid style of an original Faulkner painting. Faulkner was not
pleased and returned to painting and sales of his originals in an
effort to keep pace with expenses. Even though the quality of his
work from this time was sporadic, when inspiration struck, he
still produced some of his finest and most accomplished work.

In Faulkner’s ongoing saga, there never seemed to be a
dull moment. In November 1971 Daphne Phelps arrived in
Lexington, accepting his invitation to stay “for a summer, for
a year,” but she quickly found that three days was enough.20
Faulkner picked her up at Blue Grass Airport in the infamous
station wagon he had purchased in Taormina and freighted
across the Atlantic. In her memoir, Phelps chronicles a house in
a sorry state. When she arrived, there was no hot water and the
yard was being dug up by plumbers. A litter of kittens had been
birthed on the guest bed, which now lacked a mattress. The
house was flooded with animals and packed full of possessions.

a l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d 184

Two college-age boys had scrubbed all night long before her Photo: © unknown / Faulkner-Morgan Pagan Babies Archive That winter, Faulkner returned to Key West as usual. Morgan
arrival, but the place still reeked of tomcat urine and other accompanied him on this hair-raising road trip with dangerous
offensive smells. driving and far too many pets stuffed into the car. Once safely
there, Faulkner continued painting, partying, visiting, and singing
Faulkner had planned a welcome party for Phelps and went the blues at Capt. Tony’s Saloon. Life was good despite the
about decorating the house. In the late afternoon, a variety of ongoing back and hip pain. With Morgan’s assistance as a sort of
guests, an “incongruous collection of people,” as she described manager, Faulkner was back to producing and delivering paintings
them, arrived. Among this assembly of fun seekers were hippies and managed to supply the demand. While he paid less attention
and artsy types, stylists and other professionals, as well as a few to writing poetry now, he did correspond with family and others,
society women, some of whom collected Faulkner art. The including Alice DeLamar and James Hunt Barker, whose galleries
guests began showing up before five and were sent off at seven in Palm Beach and Nantucket were thriving and selling his work.
as Faulkner announced, “The party’s over now. Go away!” After
two more days of Faulkner’s hospitality, Phelps departed, later The James Hunt Barker Gallery offered him a one-man
recalling the experience as “fantastic and enjoyable.” 21 show in Nantucket, opening on July 4, 1972, another artistic
milestone. The next exhibition was a November show at
Faulkner had an immense love of cats and often draped one of his Spindletop Hall in Lexington, a gala event that many Bluegrass
favorite felines, Geronimo, over his shoulders elites attended, as well as Faulkner’s special guest of honor and
patron, Vincent Price. The opening evening was accentuated
with one of Faulkner’s more shocking publicity-seeking antics,
when a fire engine arrived with a nude man and woman posing
on the ladders on the top deck.

After the Spindletop extravaganza, shows were scheduled
in Palm Beach and Naples, Florida, for the following spring, as
Faulkner was to journey south again. Tennessee Williams and
James Herlihy joined him as special guests for the exhibit in
Naples. The show resulted in extraordinarily good sales, received
enthusiastic reviews, and made the social columns. Following that
success, Williams hosted a reception at his home in Key West to
celebrate and more than 100 of Williams’ jet-setting friends, many
of them influential on the arts and social scenes, attended.

Faulkner’s theatrical embellishments during these days became
increasingly bothersome to Williams, who was drinking heavily
and no longer at the apex of his career. Their relationship, which
had always been subject to ups and downs, had become more
tenuous. Faulkner’s natural inclination was to be motherly and
bossy while Williams was often insulting and indignant. Often
this was a caustic mix; still the two remained inextricably bound
as Faulkner looked up to Williams with his notoriety and fame
and Williams likely enjoyed the adoration and Faulkner’s talent.
Their friendship endured despite their polarizing temperaments.

185 N o t f o r R e p r o d u c t i o n

Photo: © Unknown / Paul and Cindy Olsen Faulkner continued to produce paintings that elicited
opportunities and invitations to exhibit. The Jockey Club
With Geronimo again wrapped around his neck, Faulkner struck one in Miami inquired into the possibility of showing his work,
of his barefoot poses on a sofa, most likely in his Key West home and during the summer of 1974, he parlayed an exhibit at
Doctors Park in Lexington. Organized in collaboration with
By 1974 Faulkner was 50 years old and aging. The glimmer Greene Settle, the Doctors Park exhibition included over
in his blue-gray eyes had dimmed a little, his posture had begun 160 pieces. Faulkner’s reputation as an eccentric artist and
to stoop, his bones ached, and his moods swayed to extremes, poet preceded him, and the event attracted a large crowd,
all affecting the rhythm of his life and work. He began to since many of his followers and admirers had been eagerly
frequent the Robertson Clinic in Owensboro, Kentucky, a holistic awaiting his new work. His fame was also attracting new
facility run by the osteopathic physician, Dr. Clifford Houston fans among the baby boomers.
Robertson. Faulkner was a strong advocate of a drug-free, non-
invasive approach to treating his failing health. Though now often Faulkner’s spirit, however, was burdened by the classic
disgruntled and in pain, he was still quite capable of flashing glints conflict – his creativity was shackled with the pressure to
of charisma and summoning a bit of artistic magic. produce. If the reason to paint had sometimes become
oppressive, that may have spurred him to return to writing
and poetry, allowing him to follow a deeply ingrained desire
to leave a literary mark that had been put aside for years. As
Faulkner began to write more, he kept dream journals and
penned some of his best poetry to date. Painting private
commissions and special requests took up much of his time,
but poetry was again part of his artistic agenda. Meanwhile, the
more notorious and melodramatic art openings seemed to be a
thing of the past. Still Faulkner harbored painted masterpieces
in his imagination that eventually found expression and became
extremely important works that defined his accomplished years.

During this period, Faulkner focused more on the local
scene, mounting annual fall exhibits in Lexington’s alternative
spaces such as Le Café Chantant and the Living Room, now
known as the Bar Complex, as well as Levas’ Restaurant. The
artwork he created for these venues tended to be smaller
and less finished, but these displays helped keep Faulkner’s
reputation in the minds of Lexingtonians. He also maintained
his visibility, walking on the streets, shopping at the Farmers’
Market, driving his little Toyota truck loaded with animals,
or simply painting, seated in front of his chair-easel in Gratz
Park or around town. His demeanor seemed to suggest he
had become a more settled resident of Lexington. But when
winter set in, he headed south to Florida, providing work for
galleries along the way.

a l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d 186

In the summer of 1974, Faulkner’s spirits sailed high when His correspondence with Herlihy on this project provided
he was visited by his dear friend and confidant James Herlihy, him with insights as he formulated new ideas that reflect in his
who famously wrote about marginal characters. Herlihy began writing and paintings.
preliminary research for a book on Faulkner’s life. He proposed
to develop the narrative whereby Faulkner would reply to letters, The book was never completed, but Faulkner’s passion for
providing answers to Herlihy’s intensely probing questions. poetry had been imbued with new vigor, once again stimulating
Enthralled with this approach, Faulkner worked diligently as he his creative writing, recalling his literary impulses of the ’40s.
divulged profound thoughts and feelings to answer questions. Although his painting had become less of a creative outlet and
more like his day job, his artistic genius occasionally still burst
Blue Blast forth in spontaneous torrents of colors painted on black panel,
demonstrating his accomplished finesse and true mastery of
Date: 1975 the palette.
Medium: Casein and oil on board
Size: 40” x 30” Though exceptional paintings now appeared more
Original frame: 45” x 35” intermittently, Faulkner accomplished some of his finest
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom right artwork during the latter period of his career. For example, the
Titled by artist odd yet striking painting Blue Blast reveals new levels of technical
expertise in its brilliant translucency. This remarkable piece
depicts a centaur, half horse/half woman, scantily clad in a lace
negligee, flagging her equine tail while prancing atop a field of
diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds. To fabricate the impression
of a diaphanous veil, Faulkner must have applied water-based
paint over the oil base, creating an innovative, beaded webbing of
lace as an over-layer. Stretching the confines of paint adhesion,
he had determined the perfect means to achieve this stunning
visual effect. By the mid-’70s, though, supply and demand had
become a major factor in the sale of his work; as fewer paintings
were produced, the more expensive they became. Blue Blast, a
30” x 40” painting encased in a 2.5”-wide, ornate, gold Italian
frame, brought $5,000 in 1975, a hefty sum for the Lexington
art economy during that time.

Chronic financial mismanagement, however, led to
leaner times and in need of money – or perhaps just tired or
uninspired – Faulkner began to market early works that he had
saved, some dating back to the late ’40s and early ’50s, and his
art school days. As a hoarder, he had voluminous stacks of
watercolors, gouache pieces, casein paintings, and pen and ink
drawings – some just simple studies – stashed in boxes inside the
overstuffed, deteriorating, cat-filled home on West Third Street.
Hoping to generate spending money, Faulkner would arrange for
a local picture framer to build custom frames and then he showed
prospective clients the attractively presented work. A sales tactic

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would be to extol the value, both intrinsic and historic, and devise his life at this crucial time, becoming increasingly involved in Photo: University of Kentucky Digital Library, John Jacob Niles Photographic Collection
a story that connected the early artwork to some memorable helping the artist manage practical matters. Clendenin became a
moment from his past. friend and even a kind of brother to Faulkner.

Faulkner continued bringing his early work forward for the During 1971 Faulkner happened upon a small seven-acre
remainder of his life. While the sales from these early works tract of land on Browns Mill Road, where the bridge over
were not strong, their long-term value and benefit in eventually South Elkhorn Creek crosses into Scott County, Kentucky. The
supplying the vital historical perspective on his life’s work are little farm bordered the polo barns at Saxony Farm, an elegant
beyond measure. His student-like experimental studies shed Thoroughbred farm on prime Bluegrass land. The Browns Mill
crucial light on the process of Faulkner’s evolution as an artist. location included a nice tobacco barn for the goats and an old
two-story clapboard house that was in shambles. Faulkner
Greene Settle, who understood the value of preservation, began negotiations to buy the property and put his Jessamine
purchased many of those early works. He amassed a vast County farm up for sale. The transactions for both were
collection of Faulkner art ranging from earliest efforts to completed by the beginning of the following year. Faulkner then
masterpieces, including archived scrapbooks of photos and proceeded to move his animals and materials from the old farm
newspaper clippings, exhibit memorabilia, sales receipts, as to the new, as well as furniture, furnishings, and curiosities from
well as contracts and correspondence from admirers, patrons, the overburdened West Third Street house, all accomplished, as
and galleries. Settle performed the greatest role a patron can usual, with the help of overworked, underpaid day laborers.
offer an artist by meticulously orchestrating those components,
establishing a historical overview and chronological perspective Faulkner hobnobbing with composer, balladeer, and fellow
on Faulkner’s art legacy. While there are other large collections Kentuckian John Jacob Niles in 1970, probably at Anita Madden’s
of Faulkner’s work with various patrons, the Greene A. Settle Kentucky Derby party
Jr. Faulkner Collection was comprehensively constructed
in a manner that would aid future researchers and prove
indispensable in helping to establish the monetary value of
Faulkner’s art and associated memorabilia. As the quintessential
financier and benefactor, Settle, through his patronage, established
provenance and development, ensuring that Faulkner’s candle
continues to burn long after their generation of acquaintances,
family, and fans flickers and fades.

By 1976 Faulkner had immersed himself in his woes,
painting and writing poems that reflected his feelings of
rejection, while some joyous sentiments still emerged. Settle,
who had served for 12 years as Faulkner’s business and legal
adviser, de facto art agent, and even power of attorney, began
to withdraw from Faulkner’s affairs, as his impeccable record-
keeping ended around that time. Settle had nurtured and guided
Faulkner for over a decade, sharing with him the comfort of
home, family, and community, and the two remained close as
neighbors and friends. It was Faulkner’s good fortune that a
Lexington lawyer named J. Gregg Clendenin stepped into

a l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d 188

Faulkner presents a Taormina scene painting for publicity in 1977Photo: © the Lexington Herald-Leader | John C. Wyatt | Staff significance, and he would produce about 200 new paintings,
Photo: © unknown, likely John Ashleysome to later be made into lithographs. They first established
The new farm revived Faulkner’s desire to build a beautiful the “Henry Faulkner Israeli-Holy Land Art Association,” which
Italian-style villa in the Bluegrass and he was quite serious about would pay his expenses and they agreed to share the profits 60-
making his dream a reality. According to Scott County historian 40, like a gallery commission. Spending a considerable amount
Ann Bevins, he sought her help to secure a restoration grant for of time and thousands of dollars in preparation for the trip,
the existing house, available at that time for properties listed on the Blums even agreed to such demands as shipping Faulkner’s
the National Register of Historic Places, though this old house Volkswagen ahead for his use in Israel. Then on the eve of
was likely not qualified. With a house in Lexington, a house in his departure, Faulkner unexpectedly backed out of the whole
Key West, and a new farm home in the country that included a deal because his astrologer had advised him against this venture.
barn for the family, his mood was buoyed. Whether it was indeed the astrological signs or some other
reason or intuition, Faulkner refused to follow through on the
It was during this time that Faulkner began working closely agreement despite the significant amount of trouble and money
with Gary and Cindy Blum as they hatched an exciting new idea the Blums and others had put into the project. Still, from time
together. Gary Blum, a former Lexington businessman, and to time, Faulkner painted the domes of the Holy Land, the
his wife had earlier located to Key West to become real estate Jerusalem of his imagination.
entrepreneurs. Their connection with Faulkner was as collectors
and art lovers, and they were fond of him. Gary occasionally Shortly following this aborted business proposition, Faulkner
helped out with business and other matters. experienced a reversal of fortune when he received a prestigious
commission for a painting of the Ernest Hemingway Home in
The Blums were thrilled by Faulkner’s plan to build a Key West. He launched into this project with great sincerity
European villa and helped devise an ambitious money-making during 1977, as he painstakingly created a wonderful work of
strategy. The idea was to create a whole new body of work art. Visitors to the Hemingway House still enjoy viewing the
based on an artistic pilgrimage that Faulkner would make in the
Holy Land. His travels would route him through Bethlehem, Faulkner opining on one of his compositions to Tennessee Williams;
Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, and other places of religious photo likely taken in Florida in the ’70s

189 N o t f o r R e p r o d u c t i o n

painting that hangs above Ernest Hemingway’s bed (pictured at Photo: © Shelly Rivoli / Speckled Frog LLC
right). It is fair to speculate that this painting has been viewed by
more people than any other Faulkner original.

Faulkner was also retained around the same time to
create a cover for Richard F. Leavitt’s forthcoming book,
The World of Tennessee Williams (1978). One of the paintings
under consideration was Ecce Homo (painting below). The
composition is a religious allegory, including a large dove
and an upside-down rose on a stem of thorns, perhaps after
Williams’ sister Rose. The painting contains familiar Faulkner
imagery – a goat, an angel, and a clock. There are two pairs of
hands; one pair clasped with a rosary, and one pair bearing the

Ecce Homo Key West visitors are introduced to Henry Faulkner’s art in the Ernest
Hemingway Home, where one of his paintings prominently hangs
Date: 1977 above the bed; arguably the most viewed of all Faulkner’s work
Medium: Acrylic on board
Size: 15 7/8” x 19 7/8” stigmata supporting the words “Vita Mort Marion,” presumably
Signed: “Faulkner“ bottom right in memory of Marion Black Vaccaro, Williams’ and Faulkner’s
friend who passed away in 1970. Above is Pontius Pilate’s
Typed inscription glued to back: expression, “Ecce Homo,” where both phrases are in line with
RICHARD FREEMAN LEAVITT an outstretched arm with nail-scarred hand atop what can be
assumed to be the Crucifixion cross. The painting is perhaps
ECCE HOMO belabored with sentimentality and symbolism. Settle noted in
his cataloged information that Williams had found it “a bit
Also on back, Faulkner's notation of completion: “14 minutes past noon too romantic for my taste.”22 Williams’ rejection of Ecce Homo
on the 16th day of May, 1977, in Marion’s room, at Blackwood, 2999 surely stung Faulkner’s feelings.
Bricknell Avenue, Miami, FL”
One of the more personally satisfying exhibitions of
Faulkner’s career was undoubtedly the performance show held
for a hometown audience, staged at the Lexington Opera House
in November 1977. Large colorful posters were hung about
town, “Faulkner Singing Blues & Reading Poetry – November
First – 1977 - 8 pm - Admission $6 – One Man Exhibit –
Faulkner Paintings.”23 On opening night, Faulkner was totally
in his element. He strutted and sang, backed up by the Hatfield
Clan with Rodney Hatfield masterfully playing the harmonica.

a l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d 190

Faulkner shared woeful tales of the hopes and sorrows of his Photo: © unknown Faulkner thought it would be in her best interest to come
life – injecting his own poetry, name-dropping, and singing live with him. In the spring of 1978, he took Dora from
falsetto blues for 2 1/2 hours – a remarkable night of poetry her farm to Lexington, arguably, against her will. The new
and song. That same year, the Lexington Herald-Leader published arrangement did not go well, becoming yet another source of
a feature on Faulkner, elevating his reputation and notoriety to stress for Faulkner, who was already under pressure to produce
even greater heights. In many respects, his life was going well. more art as he tended to the town and country properties and
took care of his multitude of animals.
However, serious complications began to surface regarding
Faulkner’s foster mother, Dora, who was now 88 years old, Keeping a rein on his foster mother meant Dora had little
partly deaf, and often confused. She still lived at her home or no contact with anyone except the animals. She occasion-
in Egypt, Kentucky, with caregivers. While the mother-son ally wandered away or purposely managed to escape when
relationship over the years seemed to include both love and Faulkner’s attention was focused on other matters. On her last
resentment, displaying an instinct of a son toward his mother, attempt to flee, she told the police officers who picked her up
on the roadside that she was being held against her will. They
Faulkner, who often dressed formally for important affairs, pictured believed her story and placed her in a nursing home. The
with dark suit and silk scarf sheriff ’s office then contacted Clay County authorities, who
pressed charges against Faulkner for unlawful imprisonment.
The allegations were serious, stating that Faulkner had locked
Dora up, starved her, and tried to kill her. A trial was set and
many Clay County residents were more than ready to convict.
Faulkner sought counsel from his lawyer, J. Gregg Clendenin,
who prepared a compelling case for the defense.

While the case never came to trial, a circuit judge banned
Faulkner from Clay County, another chapter in the familiar story
of a misfit longing for acceptance in his hometown, rejected for
the very unconventionality that made him famous elsewhere. What
transpired was a betrayal that became the self-fulfilling destiny he
had prophesized a couple of years earlier in his poem, “Crucify,”
in which the town threatens death to the poet who, “against the
rules,” sings “like a mocking bird,” and “worships beauty,
not us” (see pg. 267). He continued to write following the so-
called abduction episode but his letters and poems had taken on a
brooding tone and were now laced with a preponderance of mor-
bid themes and contemplations on death, including his own.

Feeling financial weight, Faulkner undertook fulfilling
backlogged commission work to pay expenses. Some strong
paintings emerged from these efforts. His works were trending
toward bolder and more garish colors with fewer mid-tones
and subtle hues more commonly associated with his style. As
his approach changed, new themes emerged; celestial unicorns

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became common, and some of his best pieces displayed pink Photo: © Martin Jesse / Lexington Herald-Leader
skies or backgrounds, capturing exquisite gradations in
a heavenly manner. He explored and expanded his standard Often painting plein air, this 1972 photo shows Faulkner
themes; still lifes and flowers, animals in landscapes, and religious working on one of his depictions of the Hunt-Morgan House,
subjects, sometimes including written lines of poetry and using seated on the sidewalk at the southeast corner of Mill and
new harmonies of color from his palette. The inspired works Second streets, as his dog Gentry naps
from this time, comprehensive in both technique and content,
assumed their place among his finest masterpieces. While these of light from the other side of the street was a seminal moment
superior compositions were fewer in number, in some ways in his understanding of artistic composition.
Faulkner made up for the difference in size, subject matter, and
technical execution. In the fall of 1979, Faulkner’s shepherd mix, Onassis, died.
Inconsolable, Faulkner asked if he could hold a wake for Onassis at
In the summer of 1978, Faulkner turned his attention back Frame House of Georgetown. The owners agreed and he brought
to Kentucky scenes, sketching concepts for new paintings and the deceased dog to the gallery along with a large four-fold Italian
gathering ideas in spiral-bound tablets with pen and ink as he screen made of carved wood. His funerary arrangement also
made field trips to nearby towns like Frankfort, Midway, Paris, included plaster and bronze cupids, a pair of Sicilian paintings of
and Georgetown. He was constantly looking for new angles, new lovers on wooden panels, roses and baby’s breath, and branches
opportunities, and always new patrons. During this time, he met a of eucalyptus. He ordered the gallery as a proper funeral parlor,
young photographer, John Stephen Hockensmith, who co-owned preparing for a vigil for his beloved pet. Not only did he come
Frame House of Georgetown with a partner, Larry Mayne. This daily to the gallery for a wailing hour, he brought others to join
shop was a small custom framing business, art gallery, and
photography studio, and in their collaboration, Faulkner envisioned
projects and ways to enlist help. He had the shop frame about 60
of his early works. He was impressed with the workmanship and
decided to mentor Hockensmith as a photographer.

Hockensmith was fascinated with Faulkner’s famous – or
infamous – reputation and thrilled by Faulkner’s willingness to
take him under wing, teaching him about art. Faulkner followed
through on the mentoring plan, promising his new pupil, “I’ll
teach you how to see.” He began taking the aspiring artist and
photographer on short excursions to show him how to “find the
light” and notice what is artistically intriguing. Hockensmith recalls
Faulkner asking him to look into the window of an old
darkened building. When Faulkner asked him what he saw,
Hockensmith answered, “Nothing. It’s empty.” Faulkner persisted:
“Look at the reflection! Look real hard! That’s art!” The antique
pane was stressed with irregularities and distortions, so the reflection
on the window appeared to drip. Hockensmith recalls learning
how to recognize layers of an image separate from the surface on
that very afternoon. Experiencing the shimmering reflections

a l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d 192

The exhibit resulted in immediate sales for Faulkner and
several commissions, as well as some sales and recognition for
Hockensmith. Faulkner had hoped that Kentucky’s first lady at the
time, former Miss America Phyllis George Brown, would
appear as a special guest for the evening since he was showing
Angel over Frankfort (see pg. 270), which portrayed Brown
as an angel hovering above the church steeples on Wapping
Street in Kentucky’s state capital. Much to his disappointment,

Taormina Street Scene

Undated: ’70s
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 28 1/8” x 38 1/8”
Signed: “Faulkner” bottom left

Titled by artist

in the mourning. After a week, though, the gallery owners asked Photo: © John S. Hockensmith 1979
him to remove the decaying corpse.
Photograph of Faulkner with sketchbook under his arm taken in
All things considered, Faulkner offered to include 1979 by John S. Hockensmith in Paris, Kentucky, while on an idea-
Hockensmith and his photography in his November 1979 gathering expedition in preparation for Faulkner's winter exhibit at
exhibit at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Lexington. The the Hyatt Regency in Lexington, Kentucky
young photographer was hopeful, but guarded, about
actually being included in a Faulkner exhibition. As the
exhibit approached, stress set in when Faulkner’s paintings
were not ready. This resulted in anxiety-ridden, last-minute
preparations and an 11th-hour flurry of frantic activity to
prepare more than a dozen good paintings for the show
that ended up including a couple of exemplary pieces.
Faulkner also added several of his best newly framed early
works, and, as promised, Hockensmith’s photographs were
incorporated into the show titled “Meet Me on the Mezzanine.”

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