Wess Harris dropped off a copy of the new edition of Appalachian Heritage magazine, published at Berea College. On the cover is Connie West’s portrait of Don West, her husband,  and on the back is her portrait of her daughter, Ann West Williams. A few years ago the WV Labor History Association, in conjuntion with Wess Harris, had a show of paintings by Connie West at The Cultural Center. During the opening ceremony, WVLHA also inducted Bill Blizzard, the leader of The Battle of Blair Mountain, and Ken Hechler into its WV Labor Hall of Honor. You can see some of the great paintings and read some of the articles including Jeff Biggers article about West called “The Pride and Prejudice of Don West.” ( Biggers is the editor of a recent book about Don West called “No Lonesome Road: Selected Prose and Poems of Don West” and “The United States of Appalachia.”)

Harris has worked for several years with West family members, printing high quality digital copies of paintings by Connie West that were destroyed in a fine at the Appalachian South Folklife Center. A photographer took photos luckily of the paintings, and together he and Harris created these reproductions that look very good. WVLHA purchased some of the first copies for a planned show someday of art by WV’s many workers. Dr. Fred Barkey has been collecting the items for decades.

If you wish to purchase one of these Connie West paintings that are super-high quality reproductions, contact Harris at his website for “When Miners March”.

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