A Rural Visionary: The Soul of the American South Chick Wooten (1930 – 2011) emerged from the quiet, sun-drenched landscapes of eastern North Carolina as a singular and profound voice in American regionalist painting. Born in Lansing, his artistic sensibility was deeply rooted in the soil of Lenoir County—a formative environment that would permeate every brushstroke of a prolific career spanning six decades. Unlike many of his contemporaries who sought refinement through formal academic training, Wooten’s talent blossomed organically. He was a self-taught master whose eye was trained not by…