Moses Knight portrait to be sold Aug. 31 at community center [Click to enlarge]

Paul Frets is a soft-spoken man, kind and unassuming. Yet his art makes a bold statement and reveals an exciting and adventurous spirit.

"Art is like a language in itself," Frets said in an April 2008 interview with the Democrat. "It offers a way to communicate, which I think is important for all of us. Art gives us the opportunity to express ourselves when we might not be able to through any other method."

The art of Paul Frets, a native of Rector, has spoken deeply to many for years, and his tremendous talents have been recognized in exhibits throughout the United States. As Professor Emeritus of Art at Radford University in Virginia, where he taught for many years, his influence has been, and continues to be, extensive.

In just two weeks, area residents and the thousands of Rector Labor Day visitors will have a chance to see his amazing work when the Rector High School Helping Hands Foundation sponsors a special showing of his paintings in Rector. In a Main Street Rector building converted into a gallery by Foundation president Sherland Hamilton (home years ago to Crockett Motor Company), Frets' work will be displayed for all to see from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 28-30.

Many are eagerly anticipating a first look at a special painting of the late Moses Knight commissioned by the Helping Hands Foundation to raise money for its work in assisting disadvantaged Rector students. The painting will be auctioned at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, at the Rector Community Center.

The buyer will be asked to donate the painting to the Rector Community Museum so the work can be seen by others for years, however Frets will provide a 24"x19" matted and framed print of the work for the buyer to keep.

Knight, a small black man who, for years, was the only person of his color in Clay County, was a much-loved figure in Rector during the first half of the 20th century. He often entertained children with stories and songs and, despite the fact that he was uneducated, was widely respected for his intelligence and knowledge in many areas.

Frets' painting of Moses Knight is based on a studio portrait taken in 1948 by Rector photographer Lexie Corkran, who died in 1979. Frets has changed the background to reflect the rural area northwest of Rector where Knight resided most of his life.

Frets is a 1960 graduate of Arkansas State University, and his Rector show also is being promoted by the ASU Alumni Association, which has expressed great pride in his work.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Education degree at ASU, Frets earned a Master's degree in art in 1964 at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He was hired that year as Assistant Professor of Art at Radford University and was promoted to Full Professor of Art in 1971 after earning a Doctor of Arts degree in painting from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

He retired as Professor Emeritus of Art in 1996, but has continued to work in his spacious Radford studio, where the Moses Knight painting was produced.

Organizers of the art show hope to arrange early visits to the exhibit for area art students. The Foundation invites the entire community to attend the free exhibit.