Famed folk artist to visit Salem gift shop

Staff report

SALEM

Renowned folk artist Billy Jacobs will appear at the Look Nook Gift Shop at Salem Regional Medical Center on June 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jacobs will sign copies of “The Road Home,” a book written by his daughter and her cousin about his life and artwork.

Jacobs will also sign pieces of his artwork, including the American countryside prints that are available for purchase in the Look Nook.

He also will sign pieces of his artwork that customers already own, if they bring them in.

A longtime resident of Ohio, Jacobs started his career in the country gift industry in the early 1980s as a woodcrafter and designer.

He designed and manufactured thousands of primitive products throughout the ’80s and ’90s.

In the 2000s, he turned his focus from wood crafting to painting.

He switched from acrylics to watercolors in 2006, and began his successful endeavor of painting rural American countrysides.

His depiction of the American lifestyle, in landscapes and still life, brings a nostalgic comfort to the viewer and has made him a sought-after artist.

Jacobs maintains a gallery in an 1840s building, in a former tavern in Navarre.

Copies of “The Road Home” will be available for pre-purchase at the Look Nook Gift Shop through June 15. These copies will be available for the book and art signing on June 25.

A signed copy of a limited edition print of Jacobs’ “Indian Summer” will be part of the artist’s visit. The winner will be drawn at the end of Jacobs’ visit.

The Look Nook is accessible from the SRMC parking deck. After entering the hospital, the shop is on the immediate left just beyond the reception desk.

Parking is always free.

The shop’s hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Call 330-332-7252 for information.

The hospital is at 1995 E. State St.

To learn more about the artist and his work, go to billyjacobs.com.