Episode 58 | Matt and Kyle Get Back to Folk Art

Episode 58 | Matt and Kyle Get Back to Folk Art

Author: Matt Ledbetter June 8, 2026 Duration: 1:08:28

Matt and Kyle are back at the Auction Gallery in Gibsonville after a run of antique shows. Liberty and Fishersville were fun, but this episode gets back to the roots of House of Folk Art: self-taught art, pottery, carvings, and the stories behind the pieces.

Matt and Kyle pull work from around the gallery and talk through what makes each piece worth slowing down for. The episode starts with Sam Ezell, a North Carolina artist and picker whose work has become a major focus at the auction house, including a large group of pieces coming up in a future sale.

From there, the conversation moves into Denzil Goodpaster, a bear carving, and Matt’s ongoing argument about the difference between craft and art. The crew also digs into a Charles Simmons wood carved jug, the connection to Raymond Coins, and why some important North Carolina artists are still only known by a small circle of collectors. Matt talks through why a piece may not bring enough at auction, but can still be exactly the kind of thing he wants to keep. There is also pottery from Marvin Bailey and Ellen Martin, including the story of the first Marvin Bailey piece that really pulled Matt into contemporary face jugs. 

The episode closes with a few pieces coming up for auction, including a tramp art box, plus a quick reminder for first-time bidders ahead of the June 11 auction.

Bid in the June 11 Folk Art & Americana Auction:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/419094_folk-art-and-americana-auction/

Chapters
00:00 | Back at the Auction House in Gibsonville
03:11 | Sam Ezell, Self-Taught Art, and Large Scale
12:42 | Denzil Goodpaster’s Bear Carving
22:00 | First Look at House of Folk Art Merch
24:10 | Charles Simmons and the Wood Carved Jug
34:34 | Matt’s First Marvin Bailey Piece
47:19 | Ellen Martin’s Lion and North Carolina Pottery
56:44 | A Huge Baseball Carving Hits the Table
01:00:34 | Auction Preview: Tramp Art Box
01:08:00 | A Good Day Back at Ledbetter Auction Gallery

Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Reach out to the show:

houseoffolkart@gmail.com
(919) 410-8002

Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode.

Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.


Matt Ledbetter lives in a world of vibrant paint, carved wood, and compelling stories. In House of Folk Art, this Gibsonville, North Carolina auctioneer and collector pulls up a chair to share that world, drawing directly from his deep connections within the Southern folk art community. His perspective is unique; because he organizes renowned quarterly auctions, Matt often knows the artists personally and has handled their work firsthand. This isn't a distant academic lecture. Instead, each episode feels like a conversation about the objects and the people who make them, exploring the intricate history behind the creations and the profound, often very personal, motivations that drive the artists. You’ll hear about intimate encounters and the small details that give this art its soul, from the choice of reclaimed materials to the narratives etched into the surface. Tuning into this podcast means getting a backstage pass to a living tradition, where every whirligig, portrait, or memory jug carries a fragment of cultural history. Matt’s guidance helps unravel the rich tapestry of this creative landscape, making the stories behind Southern folk art accessible and deeply engaging for anyone curious about the visual heritage of the region. The House of Folk Art podcast builds, piece by piece, a vivid understanding of why these works resonate so powerfully.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

House of Folk Art
Podcast Episodes
Episode 65 | The Antique Baskets You Should Be Hunting For [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:32
Matt sits down with antique dealer and collector Laura Saville for a deep dive into old baskets, using examples from Matt’s collection and baskets Laura brought with her to answer a deceptively simple question: how do yo…
Episode 64 | Face Jugs, Monsters and the Art of Stacy Lambert [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:58
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Duration: 1:09:43
Wade Ledbetter returns to the House of Folk Art to talk about the lost art of door-knock picking.Wade started picking around 1978 and spent more than 30 years driving back roads, choosing houses that looked promising, an…
Episode 62 | Mike Smith Was There: Rare Photos from Folk Art History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:10
Mike Smith returns to the House of Folk Art with something remarkable: a collection of photographs he took while visiting folk artists across the South during the 1990s.Mike estimates that he has photographed thousands o…
Episode 59 | What Does a Real Folk Art Collector Collect? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:24
Matt and Sully are back at Ledbetter Auction Gallery in Gibsonville with a fresh stack from a 400-piece single-owner folk art collection that just came through the door.The collection had already been unboxed and was wai…
Episode 57 | Van Side at Fishersville Antique Expo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:10
Fishersville was a great show this year. Friday was packed from the start, dealers were moving material early, and by Saturday morning Matt was already back at the van digging through the pile of things that he’s taking…
Episode 55 | Riding Out to Liberty with Matt Ledbetter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:42
Matt Ledbetter sits down before heading out to Liberty, North Carolina to set up Wade's tent for the last Liberty Antique show.Held twice a year in Randolph County, the Liberty Antiques Festival has long been one of the…