[2][3] Hair was the leader of a loose-knit group of prolific African American painters who sold their vibrantly colorful landscapes from the trunks of cars along the eastern coastal roads of South Florida.
[2] Hair graduated from Lincoln Park Academy in 1961, and attended one year at community college before dropping out to pursue his career as an artist.
Because of Jim Crow era racism, art galleries in Florida would not represent African American artists, forcing Hair to find other methods of selling his artwork.
While Newton is recognized by fellow artists for his technical inspiration, Hair is considered the leader and catalyst "who set the tone for the group through the 1960s.
[7] Hair "eschew[ed] any formal color theory and rel[ied] on instinct and intuition to depict [a] steady stream of beaches, palm trees and Everglades scenes.
Organic colors were not their main focus; they wanted to wow buyers with burnt-orange Florida skies or unnaturally florescent clouds.