Vintage Texas Folk Artist Isaac Smith 36 Praying Mantis Carved Wood Sculpture
Smith was by far the No. 1 folk artist in the country, according to Ronald Gard, an art collector who served on the International Advisory Council of the Museum of American Folk. The Oak Cliff native carved thousands of wooden animals in his lifetime, according to Gard, who wrote a book about Smith. Former President George W. Bush bought a raccoon and reindeer from the artist. Other pieces found a home at the Dallas Museum of Art, and today many live in the Craighead Green Gallery in Stemmons Corridor.