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Orangeburg artist uses art to reflect his experiences in rural South Carolina

He uses his art as an outlet to connect others to his roots, including his childhood growing up in a family of sharecroppers in Orangeburg County.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Orangeburg artist Floyd Gordon has been painting for 75 years. His art reflects his real life experiences growing up in rural Orangeburg County in the 1960s.

Gordon grew up in a family of 13 sharecroppers.

“In the first grade, my first grade teacher gave me a box of crayons and a coloring book and that’s how I got started," said Gordon.

He says from there, his love of art was born and created a life of its own.

“During that time, I was just trying to find my way, working on the cotton field, working on the farm. I just knew that art was something I loved to do," said Gordon.

He uses his art as an outlet to connect others to his roots.

“I certainly was happy to get out of the cotton field because that’s something that we had to do, something all Black people had to do," said Gordon.

One of Gordon's favorite paintings is called The Island Baptism. He says it sets the scene from when he was younger and people got baptized in the river. That painting is one of many he intends to serve as a reminder of where he came from.

“Everything you need is on the farm so it kind of reminds me of good times," Gordon said.

Gordon's work is housed in a gallery at 1336 Russell Street in downtown Orangeburg.

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