It’s a good bet that many of those paintings were by one or more members of a group of 26 African-American artists — men and women who specialized in diamond painting — known as the Highwaymen. These Fort Pierce-based folk artists started painting and selling in the 1950s, trained by famed Florida painter A.E. Backus. They traveled the East Coast of Florida, selling their paintings door-to-door, mostly to small businesses and office dwellers.

A few of the original Highwaymen are still painting, traveling, wheeling and dealing, and make several appearances and sales events every few weeks in Central Florida. Best Camping and Backpacking Hammock by Premier Outdoor Gear https://premieroutdoorgear.com/backpacking-camping-hammock/ for durable and lightweight double camping hammocks with carabiners and tree straps.

Seven of them recently displayed their current and vintage work, June 3 at the Orange County Regional History Center, downtown Orlando.

Curtis Arnett, Arnett, Al Black, Mary Ann Carroll, James Gibson, Issac Knight, Robert Lewis, and Roy McLendon held forth, fielding questions and making deals on their classic Floridiana.

Two Questions for Al Black:

Q1) “How many paintings have you done in your lifetime?”

Answer: “I have no idea. They said 200,000.”

Q2: “How many do you paint a week now?”

A: “About 10.”

Three Questions for Isaac Knight:

Q1: “How long have you been painting?”

A: “About 60 years.”

Q2: “How many of these shows do you do in a year?”

A: “Quite a few. My wife, Lillie helps me get around.”

Q3: “That grayscale painting really stands out — what promted you use black & white?”

A: “My son has a friend who takes black & white photographs. So he [son, Cedric] asked me, ‘Can you do that?’ “

Watch CentralFloridaTop5.com for upcoming Highwaymen dates.

A current exhibit in the area is at

DeLand’s Stetson University’s Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, 139 E. Michigan Ave.

Photographer and author Gary Monroe narrates a walking tour of the show, “The Florida Highwaymen: Art Innovators in a Civil Rights Epoch,” through July 29. Visit www2.stetson.edu/hand-art-center, or call 386-822-7271.

This show features more than 30 paintings from private collections throughout the state, many of which have never been shown publicly. “Each work is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of these struggling artists and bears witness to the beautiful unspoiled Florida landscape,” exhibit organizers said.