BUFORD, GA. — August 5 was Day 1 of a two-day sale conducted by Slotin Folk Art and featured 463 lots of self-taught art and fun contemporary folk art. The top lot was an oil on canvas by Rev. Johnnie Swearingen (1908-1993), which sold for $8,750, including buyer’s premium, more than twice its high estimate. Titled “Blue Church,” the initialed painting measured 49 by 37 inches. It is heading back to Texas, according to Steve Slotin, the firm’s co-owner. Swearingen is regarded as one of the most important of Texas folk painters. From the Chappell, Texas, area, his colorful life included field work, a stint as a hobo traveling across the western United States to the coast of California where he picked grapes and worked as a dock worker. One of his earliest mediums was shoe polish on cardboard. Slotin’s August 6 session featured 457 lots, continuing the offering of fun and antique folk art, Americana and an international folk art selection. More on the two-day sale to follow.