Harold Newton

Harold Newton was the cofounder of the Florida Highwaymen alongside Alfred Hair and is considered by many to be the most talented painter of the group. He was born in 1934 in Vero Beach, FL. He had 13 siblings and moved back and forth between Florida and Georgia at a young age eventually settling in Gifford, Fl in 1950. He met A.E. Backus (the mentor of the Highwaymen) in 1954 who convinced him to start painting Florida landscapes. Newton created the door to door style of selling that the Florida Highwaymen are known for. He was a mentor and teacher to many of the original members of the Highwaymen including Hair, Roberts, Carroll, and W. Daniels. Painting slower but with more craft, his maximum output was said to be 4 paintings a day. For the quality he produced, this rate was incredibly fast. His work is often viewed as being on a different level of technique compared to the other Highwaymen. He passed away in 1994 before he was able to see the full success of his work. His work is featured in both the Smithsonian Museum and in the United Sates Art in Embassies program.