The Reverend Howard Finster was born in 1916 in
Valley Head, Alabama and died in October of 2001 in Summerville, Georgia.
Reverend Finster is one of the country's most talked
about white, outsider artists. In 1965 he heard a
voice from the Lord which told him to transform two
acres of land into a "Paradise Garden." Using junk,
broken dolls, tools and clocks he embedded these
materials in concrete walls which surround a tower
thirty feet high built of bicycle parts and his own
church called "The World's Folk Art Church."
"Paradise Garden" was an ongoing project expressing
his religious conviction and creativity and he explains
that he assembled the pieces for a purpose-"to mend
a broken world." In 1976 he had a vision of a tall
man at his gate in which the Lord directed him to
begin painting "sermon art" because, "preaching
don't do much good; no one listens- but a picture
gets on a brain cell."
The voice commanded him to paint this sacred art
and to create individual paintings and portraits of
personal heroes, religious and patriotic images and
to pass on his spiritual messages to the world.
FinsterÍs paintings have evangelical themes and
inspirational images which come from his own
interpretations of the bible. Angels and saints as well
as earthly characters are portrayed. All of his
paintings contain witty, printed quotations known as
"Finsterisms."
Several of his paintings show how he was influenced
by the imagery on postcards or popular magazines.
Some of his creations have joined the contemporary
world through his paintings for the album covers of
the rock groups REM and The Talking Heads.
Finster made art out of nail heads, gourds, bottles,
mirrors, plastic, snow shovels and even an old
cadillac, however the majority of his works are usually
made out of plywood or heavy canvas with the works
ranging in size from a few square inches to 8-9 feet
in height. His art is original, innovative and
expressive.
He believed he came from another world and was often
referred to as "This Stranger From Another World."
Finster believed that the more he painted, the more people
he could save. The works are presented in many
forms, sometimes called "paintings in tongue," visions
of other worlds where people live in harmony. Finster
had his visions for the future. "A day when one
computer will run the earth and the final day when
giant tidal waves will cover the world. And then the
time will come for GOD to create men again- men like
the Reverend Howard Finster."