Leslie Payne

1907 - 1981

Leslie Payne, born in Lillian, Virginia in 1907, attended country schools through the 4th grade.  As a young boy, he developed an infatuation with airplanes after viewing an air show. Payne worked as a fisherman and crabber. After spending some time on the East Coast, he returned in the 1940s to Virginia and worked as a handyman.  The air show that had stirred his imagination, later fueled his trademark artworks.  Drawing on his memory and referring to books and photographs, he created a small-size airfield composed of model planes.  He also built sheds for the models.  His experience on fishing vessels inspired him to construct model boats and fish sculptures.  He forged these replicas from discarded materials and finished them with bright enamel house paint.  Payne also formed objects with patriotic themes, a whirligig, and a model of an early car from cut and painted metal. ⁽⁵⁾  

Payne was one of the artists featured in the landmark book and exhibits “Black Folk Art in America” 1930 - 1980.