“The gutsy, sardonic, and often erotic sculptures of Steven Ashby challenge the notion that folk art must be an innocent expression of traditional values.” folk art museum
The gutsy, sardonic, and often erotic sculptures of Steven Ashby challenge the notion that folk art must be an innocent expression of traditional values. In his "fixing-ups," crudely fashioned from cast-off materials, Ashby frequently addressed erotic themes with keen wit and sly humor. After his retirement and the death of his wife, Ashby created numerous assemblages from recycled materials—odd pieces of lumber, logs, branches, roots, broken children's toys, discarded hardware, hickory nuts, fabric, and photos cut from men's magazines. He even dressed some of his female figures in his late wife's clothes and costume jewelry. Ashby displayed many of his nearly life-size figures and whirligigs in his yard; he kept his more outrageous tableaux inside his house, refusing to show them to female visitors.
Ashby used ordinary materials and simple joining techniques to create a memorable assemblages.
https://collection.folkartmuseum.org/objects/1875/large-lady-in-beige-outfit