Outsider Art

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Collectors: Consign Your Pieces for Sale

All of us at VisionaryArt.com are saddened by the news that Jimmy Lee Sudduth has passed away. Born in the Caine’s Ridge community of Rural Alabama on March 10^th, 1910, Mr. Sudduth was instrumental in bringing much deserved recognition to untrained artists during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly those from the American South.

Recognized as a pioneer in the untrained art genre, Jimmy Lee’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Europe. The Corcoran Gallery, the Smithsonian Institution’s Festival of American Folklife (both in Washington, D. C.) , the Birmingham and New Orleans Museums of Art, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, the High Museum in Atlanta, and the Museum of American Folk Art have all exhibited Jimmy’s work and many of his works remain in their permanent collections. In 2005, Jimmy Lee received a Governor’s Arts Award from the State of Alabama.  The awards and recognition that Jimmy garnered throughout his life are far too numerous to list.

Jimmy’s work came to prominence long before the folk art explosion that started with the Corcoran Exhibit in Washington D.C. in 1982 that continues to this day. His work is collected nationally. The resale and auction value of his work has remained steady and has continued to rise throughout his lifetime, which is a huge indicator as to his importance.

Mr. Sudduth was instrumental in establishing the significance of the Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, Alabama. Held annually in October, this festival draws thousands of folk art enthusiasts from all over the U.S. and abroad. Jimmy Lee attended this festival each year from its inception thirty-six years ago until his health began to fail. It was his presence at the festival that created interest and has built Kentuck into what it is today.  Jimmy unloading his pickup full of art and selling out within minutes is a spectacle I have witnessed on several early Saturday Mornings at Kentuck. Afterwards, Jimmy would spend the rest of the day singing gospel songs and blowing his harmonica.

Jimmy Lee started painting at an early age, some say as early as the age of five. He was encouraged by his Native American mother, who was known as a “Root Doctor.” Being too poor to afford art supplies, Jimmy’s mother taught him to derive natural pigments from plants and berries. Jimmy would also mix mud with charcoal, pine needles, and even coffee grounds to achieve the desired color and texture he wanted. He used cast off scraps of planks, particle board, corrugated tin and wood as his canvas.

While working at a sugar press, he noticed that the sugar would harden when it fell to the ground. This gave him an idea for making his own paint. After several attempts, he came up with a mixture that he called “Sweet Mud.” He would mix sugar with Alabama mud and use that as paint. After the mixture dried, it became as hard as concrete. Jimmy claimed that he could get 37 different hues from the Alabama mud that he collected near his Fayette home. Once he added berries and plants to the mixture, his palette became virtually unlimited.

Early on, Jimmy would sometimes coat his finished work in molasses. After it hardened, it was similar to varnish and would preserve the mud for decades. 

Later on, after Jimmy became an established figure in American Folk Art, he would mix acrylic paint with the sweet mud to achieve the desired color, or would simply combine the two elements. Some of Jimmy’s best work was done during this period. He would even sometimes sprinkle glitter on works that were still wet, so that it became embedded in the sweet mud. His imagination was unlimited. He created whatever came to mind.

On an early visit with Jimmy, I asked him where his brushes were, Jimmy replied by holding up his fingers, “These here are my brushes!” he would exclaim ”I can’t never lose these!”

As important as he was to the Outsider Art World, Jimmy will also be missed for who he was. He was as non-political as a person could get. He simply painted things as they were, from horses to houses, from cars to carts, from dogs to cats, from Native Americans to Pearl Bailey. He was one of the most gentle, honest, fun-loving individuals that I have ever met. My family and I made several trips to see him at his studio in Fayette, Alabama during his more productive years. He delighted to play with my children when they were small. He always took time to show them how to paint. He blessed my kids with several paintings after they sat mesmerized, watching a bucket of sweet mud turn into a kitty cat or a dancing clown. They were fascinated by the old, rough hands that could still nimbly sketch anything they wanted from his ancient imagination.  He blessed everyone he met and he will be sorely missed.  

Take a two session class with visionary painter Richard Terrill and learn his process. Make your own painting, too! Saturdays, February 3 & 10, 2:30-5:30 PM. Members $60, nonmembers $75. Contact Education Director  Maggie Muth at 410-244-1900. 

Several of Richard's works are available for sale at VisionaryArt.com

Renowned Folk Artist Mose Tolliver passed away on October 30, 2006 at Baptist Medical Center in Montgomery, Alabama. Mose suffered a stroke in 2001 and had been in declining health ever since. Born in the Pike Road Community near Montgomery, Alabama in a time when medical records were not a priority, Mose was never sure of the date of his birth and had no birth certificate. The general feeling among friends and family is that Mose was born in 1919, although a specific date in that year can't be determined. Mose was certainly well into his eighties at the time of his death. 

MoseT, as he signed his paintings,  helped define the genre that would become known as "Outsider Art." Always referring to his work simply as "My Pictures," Mose didn't  really claim to be an artist. Indeed, but for an unfortunate accident, Mose may have never picked up a brush. 

While working at McLendon Furniture in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1960s, a crate of marble fell on him, crushing his legs. This left him disabled and unable to walk without the aid of a walker.

From the beginning, Mose exhibited a distinctive style, some of which was dictated by his disability. His methods reflected the fact that his mobility was severely impaired. 

He set up his work environment in his bedroom. Usually, he would place three or four cans of  latex house paint, each a different color, on a square chest at the foot of his bed. He would only replace a can when it became empty. This is why his paintings only feature three or four colors. 

He would occasionally mix colors. Later on in his life, he would enlist his children to paint the  backgrounds for him and they would sometimes cut the discarded plywood into square shapes.

Cleaning brushes was also a hardship for him, as was any activity that required him to leave his work area. He would sometimes work on as many as four pieces at once. This is especially true of his watermelon pieces. As I observed him on several occasions, he would paint each color in its entirety on each piece, setting down the brush only when he no longer needed that color. He repeated this process for each individual color. This way, he could use a single brush for each color and place each used brush in a separate container of water for cleaning.  

Others, including Marcia Weber of Marcia Weber Art Objects in Montgomery, observed that Mose would give no special thought to cleaning his brushes and would mix paint freely while using only one brush. 

Latex house paint turned out to be a natural choice for MoseT since it was relatively inexpensive and water soluble. He once told me that he used the best paint you could get "Just like the paint on your house!"

Mose never used an easel. Instead, he preferred to work with the piece in his lap as he set on the edge of his bed. Because of this, he could not create large works. He could only manage pieces less than about twenty-four inches square. Pieces larger than this are rare and are highly sought after. You may see one here.   He much preferred pieces in the twelve by twelve or sixteen by sixteen size range.  

Another characteristic of Mose Tolliver's work is that he would often, but not always, attach beer can tabs to the back of his paintings as makeshift hangers. He passed this habit on to his daughter Annie  On a visit with Mose in 1998, he told me that he had tested these hangers and that they would support over 200 pounds!

One aspect of his work that was not dictated by his disability was his choice of subject matter. Watermelons, trees, birds, fruits, vegetables, are all reflective of Mose's love of gardening and the outdoors and appear frequently in his work. 

He also loved cats, and although his late wife Willie Mae did not share this love they  were frequent subjects. Birds, snakes, fish, and even made-up combinations of animals like the jack-a-lope, fish-birds, and half-snakes all make occasional appearances in his work.  

He produced portraits of famous people like George Washington, friends like "dry bones Charley"  and self-portraits featuring himself with dual canes. Erotic paintings like the "bicycle girl" are favorites among some collectors.  

Beginning in the early 1970s, Mose would hang his "pictures" from the trees in his front yard. Curious passers by began to buy them for a few dollars each. Soon MoseT had a local following of dedicated collectors and his fame began to spread. 

In 1982, Mose Tolliver,  was chosen to be part of the exhibition of Black American Folk Art at the  Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C.. This exhibition sparked national interest in self-taught art and landed MoseT smack in the center of the contemporary art scene. Mose Tolliver was the last living artist from this landmark exhibition. 

Mose T has had countless exhibitions of his work in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and abroad.  His work may be found in many important collections including those of Kurt Gitter/Alice Rae-Yelen , Chuck and Jan Rosenak, and William Louis-Dreyfus.

With no conscious effort whatsoever, just following his own instinct, Mose Tolliver actually defined what it means to be a folk artist. He took useless, cast off materials and created beautiful works of art that hang in museums and important private collections throughout the world. He will be missed, but he will never be forgotten.       

Mose Tolliver, his late wife Willie Mae and Nancy Reagan at the Corcoran Exhibit in 1982

You may learn more about Mose Tolliver here

Special thanks to Marcia Weber for her help with this posting.

Gee's Bend Quilts to be Featured on U.S. Postage Stamps 
August 16, 2006

Following their inclusion of Bernice Sims' "Pettus Bridge" piece in the "To Form A More Perfect Union" series in 2005, the U.S. Postal Service is again including folk art in its series "Gee's Bend Quilts." 

Release Date: August 24th, 2006.

The American Treasures stamp series is intended to showcase beautiful works of American fine art and crafts. For the 2006 issuance, art director Derry Noyes chose photographs of ten quilts created between circa 1940 and 2001 by African-American women in Gee's Bend, Alabama.

Noted for their unexpected color combinations, bold patterns, and improvised designs, the quilts of Gee's Bend are also remarkable for the humble materials with which they are made and the humbler circumstances in which they are born. Until recently, necessity limited the quilters to fabric from everyday items such as flour sacks, old dresses, and worn-out denim and flannel work clothes. Stains, mended holes and tears, faded patches, and seams all became integral parts of a quilt's design and ensured that the materials, as well as the quilts, told the story of Gee's Bend.

Today outside interest in the quilts of Gee's Bend is growing. Art historian William Arnett and his son Matt began collecting the quilts in 1997. Their collection-which has been exhibited in museums around the U.S.-resides with Tinwood Alliance, a nonprofit foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, that supports African-American vernacular art. The renewed attention has had a positive social and economic impact on the lives of the quilters and other residents of Gee's Bend. In 2003 the women of Gee's Bend, with the help of Tinwood Alliance, formed the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective.

Here is a link to a USA Today Story about Gee's Bend

Renowned Georgia Folk Artist RA Miller went to be with the Lord on March 7, 2006 at the age of 93. Considered to be one of the most notable Georgia Folk Artists,  RA will be missed by all who knew him. His work on found tin is highly collected and can be found in many museums across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  Please see our RA Miller page for a retrospective on this wonderful American Folk Artist. 

Lord Love You

 Looking for Collectors of Mr. Wild
January 25, 2006 

Our friend Kathy McCarty is preparing an article for the Austin Chronicle about a homeless artist named "Mr. Wild." Mr. Wild is a gifted artist who has gained quite a following in the Austin area and has sold works to collectors from all over the country. Kathy is looking for collectors of Mr. Wild's work to interview for her article. If you are a collector of Mr. Wild's work, please e-mail us at will@visionaryart.com . Mr. Wild started his artistic journey through the Art From the Streets (AFTS) program in Austin, Texas. I have included some information about this wonderful program below. Thanks to Kathy McCarty for passing this on to us at Visionary Art. 

Art From the Streets (AFTS) is a 12 year old arts program for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

The mission of AFTS is to provide a safe and encouraging environment in which the positive spirit and creativity of homeless people is nurtured through artistic expression, and to exhibit and sell the resulting 
works at an annual show. Proceeds of sales go directly to the people who created the art.

The program consists of two weekly drop-in art classes held at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. Typically from 10-20 individuals attend each class The art works produced in those classes 
are mounted and presented for sale at an annual show held in conjunction with National Homeless Awareness Week. At last year’s show, more than 2,500 Austinites attended, purchasing over $70,000 of 
original art from more than 100 different homeless people.

In the eleven shows to date, homeless people have earned well over $250,000 through sales of their art.

AFTS is co-directed by Heloise Gold, Christi Pate, and Bill Jeffers, with assistance from Sharon Kolton, Gene Golembiewski, Joyce Pohlman, and Kelly Truesdell and dozens of other volunteers. Art From the 
Streets is funded in part by the City of Austin under the auspices of the Austin Arts Commission.

Wiili’s Loose Pages on View at North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Four Sisters Gallery
December 8, 2005

Rocky Mount, N.C.—On view in North Carolina Wesleyan College’s Four Sisters Gallery of Self-Taught Visionary Art is an exhibition titled "Wiili’s Loose Pages." The exhibit will continue through March 2006.

William H. Armstrong a.k.a. Wiili was a prolific artist and writer until the day he died at age 47 on December 23, 2003. Over a brief few years, 1993-1996, his Raleigh art dealer collected nearly one thousand odd pages of sketches, correspondence, poems, musings, and cartoons from Wiili. The exhibition at Wesleyan is a selection of drawings and hand- written pages that reveal the breadth of his God-given genius, his shifting outlook from the inside looking out, and an outrageous sense of humor from the outside looking in…and the alienation he experienced as an "outsider."

A gifted poet, an experienced observer, and an often bizarre visionary, Armstrong drew pictures in a wide variety of media and wrote his commentaries on life in verse and rambling narratives. Diagnosed manic–depressive, clinically called bi-polar, Wiili’s uncontrollable ups and downs were his constant companions, his demons and angels, as he wrestled what life he could from his mental states. Occasionally hospitalized at Dix, he drew for therapy and to recover from unmanageable and alienating depression. When medicated and on the fringe of coping with the world, Wiili’s most soul-searching creativity produced artworks and verse from the sublime to the ridiculous. The pain expressed in his Dix Hospital drawings is haunting. His cartoons can be deceptively simple and hilarious.

The Four Sisters Gallery at Wesleyan specializes in the art of self-taught visionary artists. The gallery is home to the Robert Lynch Collection of Outsider Art with a permanent collection from the greater Coastal Plain. Gallery hours are 9-5 daily and 9-noon Saturdays. Tours are welcome; phone 252-985-5268. 

Bernice Sims Honored with Commemorative Stamp by the US Postal Service
August 30th, 2005  

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Say the words, "the Civil Rights Movement," and many iconic images come quickly and readily to mind. Thurgood Marshall arguing before the United States Supreme Court. Martin Luther King's dream shining off the Reflecting Pool in the capital of a deeply divided nation. Rosa Parks refusing to move to the back of the bus. The Little Rock Nine. The courage of the Freedom Riders.

The United States Postal Service today dedicated 10 stamps commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and honored the Civil Rights Movement's most enduring milestones and the people who made them possible.

Under extraordinary circumstances they sat down to stand up for injustice; walked so we could ride; marched for justice and to end discrimination; went to school despite the hatred awaiting them and voted so their ballots could talk for them.

"The Postal Service is proud to add the "To Form A More Perfect Union" commemorative stamps to our 2005 stamp program, a program that celebrates the people, events and history of our nation," said John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer. "These stamps trace the history of our nation's Civil Rights Movement through vivid illustrations of key events, people and decisions that changed the course of this nation."

Postal officials, joined by Civil Rights Movement participants, planned to dedicate "To Form a More Perfect Union" commemorative pane in eight cities tied to milestones of the movement: Greensboro, NC; Jackson, MS; Little Rock, AR; Memphis, TN; Montgomery, AL; Selma, AL; Topeka, KS and Washington, DC.

Dorothy Height, Chair and President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., spoke in Washington, D.C., where stamps commemorating Executive Order 9981 (integration in all military branches), the March on Washington and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were dedicated. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sat in sessions with Stokely Carmichael, rode with Rosa Parks and participated in meetings with President John F. Kennedy.

"These stamps herald the struggle of men, women and children in the quest for equality," said Dr. Height. "They are a fitting reminder that the work yet to be done must be built upon the contributions made by millions to bring our country to a better place."

Fred Gray spoke at the Montgomery, AL, dedication ceremony. When he was 24, less than a year out of law school, he represented Rosa Parks when she was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus and Dr. Martin Luther King on civil rights issues. Gray has kept his promise "to become a lawyer, return to Alabama, and destroy everything segregated I could find.

"As I look over the 10 events these stamps represent," he explained. "I realize I've been involved with nearly all of them in one way or another."

The 10 milestones depicted in the "To Form a More Perfect Union" stamps series are the Selma March, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit In, Freedom Riders, Little Rock Nine, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Brown v. Board of Education, Executive Order 9981, March on Washington, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The stamps will be available nationwide at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers Aug. 30.
Bernice Sims piece "Pettis Bridge" which commemorates the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March was chosen as part of this ten stamp series which depicts the struggle of African-Americans for civil rights. 

Carnegie Visual Arts Center Black History Month Exhibit
February 16 - March 7, 2004

We are honored to be a part of an exhibit at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center honoring Black History Month. Visionaryart.com was asked by director Laura Phillips to contribute work for this important exhibition. The show will feature over one hundred works by several important past and contemporary Outsider Artists from the Southern United States.

In addition to the ninety-eight works contributed by VisionaryArt.com (listed below), there will be a rare opportunity to view an additional thirty-two pieces from the prestigious William and Rhonda Doss Collection of American Folk Art. Special arrangements were made to acquire these pieces for view at this exhibition.

Contemporary African-American Folk Artist Chris Clark will be on hand on Monday, February 23rd to give a talk on the significance of African-American Folk Art. Chris is well-versed in the history of American Folk Art, and is an accomplished artist in his own right. He has won acclaim for his painted quilts and decorated furniture as well as his traditional paintings. Chris has been featured in several books including "Spirits of the Cloth;Contemporary African-American Quilts", and "Revelations:Alabama's Contemporary Folk Artists"  A fixture at the Annual Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport Alabama, Chris' work is heavily collected throughout the US and abroad.  

Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet one of America's most prominent Folk Artists and to view some important  works of African-American Folk Art.  Selected works will be on sale at the museum and a portion will go to the Carnegie.

For More Information Contact Laura Phillips at:

Carnegie Visual Arts Center
207 Church Street Northeast
Decatur, Alabama 35601
PH: 256.341.0562
www.carnegiearts.org

World's Biggest Cookie to Fund American Folk Art Museum
Spring, 2003

 Flat Rock, NC -  Immaculate Baking Company, known for making great-tasting cookies with imaginative flavors and funky packaging, has announced the imminent creation of the world's biggest cookie. The all-natural chocolate-chip cookie will be larger than a basketball court, measuring over 100 feet in diameter. It will be baked on May 17, 2003, in Hendersonville, North Carolina, at the future site of the Folk Art Museum next to Immaculate Baking Company's cookie factory. The event will benefit the Folk Artist's Foundation (FAF), and proceeds will go towards the FAF Museum's construction.

"There's no question that this cookie will taste great," says Scott Blackwell, Immaculate Baking Co.'s president and CEO. "But what's more important is that it will accomplish two critical missions: It will bring the world record back to the US - which should be the case when it comes to chocolate-chip cookies - and it will raise the initial funds to create the Folk Art Museum."

Blackwell, whose personal collection of over 600 works of folk art will form the museum's initial collection, has been an advocate for folk art and folk artists for over a decade. Immaculate Baking Company features folk art on its award-winning packaging and maintains strong relationships with numerous folk artists regionally and nationally.

This is One Big Cookie!

* Size: 100 feet in diameter = basketball court; 1/3 football field; a UFO; the length of a Blue Whale or Brachiosaurus; length of a Boeing 737; width of Radio City Music Hall stage

* Weight: 40,000 pounds =  one F-15B aircraft; four elephants; seven full-sized pickup trucks; one 40,000-pound bag of feathers; three tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs.

* All-natural ingredients donated by suppliers in the US and abroad:

* 6,000 pounds of semi-sweet chocolate chunks (over 13,000,000)

* 12,200 pounds of unbleached flour

* 6,525 pounds of unsalted butter

* 5,000 pounds of granulated sugar

* 3,370 pounds of dark brown sugar

* 184 pounds of salt

* 79 pounds of baking soda

* 30,000 whole eggs

* 10 gallons of pure vanilla

* Consistency: Initially soft and moist

* Taste: Yum!

* An amazing oven: The world's biggest cookie will be baked in a structureless oven, utilizing convective heat to bake the cookie in approximately five to six hours. This one-of-a-kind, 7,850 square foot oven is being designed specially for the big cookie. If you want to know more about it, let us know!

* An excellent cause: The cookie will be cut and sold, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Museum Fund for the Folk Artist's Foundation.

About the Folk Artist's Foundation:

The Folk Artist's Foundation provides encouragement, support (financial and other) and exposure for artists working in the folk-art tradition. Folk-art is generally defined as art created by artists who lack formal training. The foundation's efforts are based on the recognition of - and profound respect for - the inherent talent and determination of the self-taught artist, as well as appreciation for the heartfelt beauty, simplicity and integrity of this magnificent art form. The Folk Artist's Museum will be built next to Immaculate Baking Company's cookie factory in Hendersonville, NC. The initial collection will include works by R. A. Miller, Mose Tolliver, and Leonard Jones.  

Renowned Preacher and Folk Artist Howard Finster Passes Away
October 22, 2001

On October 22nd, 2001 the Reverend Howard Finster went to be with the Lord. America has lost a truly unique and original artist. We extend our deepest sympathies to Howard's family. He was arguably the most influential folk artist of the 20th century, and a mighty fine preacher. We will miss visiting with  Howard at Paradise Gardens in Summerville. 

We must now console ourselves with the fact that Reverend Finster leaves behind a large volume of work. That work, while not a substitute for Howard himself,  will continue to spread the Gospel for years to come. This is truly a legacy that pleases Howard and we are all richer for it. 

As he would have said, "We do not grieve as those who have no hope." We will see you on the other side Howard, we know that you are waiting for us. Rest in peace, your work is done. 

Please see our Books Page to see available books on and by Howard Finster. 

We are pleased to report that our web site caught the notice of the fine people at  Southern Living Magazine. The clip on the left  appeared in the November 1999 issue, page 76. Thanks a lot to the good folks at Southern Living. Our Sudduth page has gotten even better since this clip was written ! 

Outsider Art

The Educational Side of VisionaryArt.com

Collectors: Consign Your Pieces for Sale