SUMMERVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- The Rev. Howard Finster, a folk artist who
created sermons in paint that were featured on the covers of rock
albums and in galleries worldwide, died Monday of congestive heart
failure. He was 84.
Finster died at Redmond Regional Medical Center in nearby Rome,
Erwin-Pettit Funeral Home of Summerville said.
Finster, a Baptist minister since his teens, began his art career in his
late 40s, creating works that ranged from wooden cutouts to paintings
to assemblages, many of which he adorned with messages like ``Hell
is a hell of a place'' in block letters.
He often used pop culture icons such as the Coca-Cola bottle,
Cadillacs and Elvis Presley in his work.
``When Christ called his disciples, he called fishermen, he didn't call
nobody from a qualified university,'' Finster said in a 1990 magazine
interview. ``He used common people to reveal parables. That's what I
do. I use Elvis because I'm a fan of Elvis. Elvis was a great guy. By
using him I get people's attention and they read my messages.''
Finster was considered a pioneer among self-taught artists, advancing
the ``outsider'' movement with his unique personality, unflagging
salesmanship and resolute work ethic. Such artists work ``outside'' the
aesthetic of formal art training.
``He was an introduction to this art for a lot of individuals who had never
heard of it,'' said Marcia Weber, a gallery owner in Montgomery, Ala.,
who has handled several Finster paintings. ``He broke ground.''
Finster's work, consistently imbued with evangelistic themes that
exhort the viewer to repent and accept Christ, became popular in the
early 1980s in New York art galleries.
``He took the word of God and did it entirely in his own way, this
eccentric, unconventional manner,'' said Lynne Spriggs, folk art curator
at Atlanta's High Museum of Art, which holds the world's largest
collection of Finster works. ``He was a tireless artist and a great
teacher.''
Finster's widest exposure may have been from music cover art.
In 1988, the Georgia-based rock band R.E.M. asked Finster to make
the cover for its second album, ``Reckoning.'' The Talking Heads, a
musical group of former art students, also commissioned Finster for
the cover of its ``Little Creatures'' recording.
Finster was also known for his three-acre Paradise Garden, which he
described as a ``folk art haven,'' built in 1961 on filled swampland
behind his home in Pennville in northwest Georgia.
Paradise Garden features mosaic cement paths, a giant cement boot,
the Tomb of the Unknown Body and Finster's folk art chapel. For years,
he spent Sunday afternoons at the garden greeting visitors. He later
moved to nearby Summerville, and Paradise Garden is now largely
owned by the High Museum of Art.
Finster was born on a small farm in DeKalb County, Ala., on Dec. 2,
1916, and became a Baptist preacher at age 16.
For more than three decades, he traveled Alabama, Georgia and
Tennessee preaching at tent revivals and supplementing his income
with odd jobs, including plumbing and bicycle repair.
In recent years, most of Finster's work was advertised on his Web site,
with the artist himself working at an almost assembly-line pace.
``We can call it commercialism, but his aim is that his art serves a
didactic function: to spread the word,'' said Lee Kogan, a friend of
Finster's and director of special projects at the Museum of American
Folk Art in New York. ``His art serves God. He's interested in getting
this message out.''
Survivors include his wife, Pauline Freeman Finster; four daughters; a
son; 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
created sermons in paint that were featured on the covers of rock
albums and in galleries worldwide, died Monday of congestive heart
failure. He was 84.
Finster died at Redmond Regional Medical Center in nearby Rome,
Erwin-Pettit Funeral Home of Summerville said.
Finster, a Baptist minister since his teens, began his art career in his
late 40s, creating works that ranged from wooden cutouts to paintings
to assemblages, many of which he adorned with messages like ``Hell
is a hell of a place'' in block letters.
He often used pop culture icons such as the Coca-Cola bottle,
Cadillacs and Elvis Presley in his work.
``When Christ called his disciples, he called fishermen, he didn't call
nobody from a qualified university,'' Finster said in a 1990 magazine
interview. ``He used common people to reveal parables. That's what I
do. I use Elvis because I'm a fan of Elvis. Elvis was a great guy. By
using him I get people's attention and they read my messages.''
Finster was considered a pioneer among self-taught artists, advancing
the ``outsider'' movement with his unique personality, unflagging
salesmanship and resolute work ethic. Such artists work ``outside'' the
aesthetic of formal art training.
``He was an introduction to this art for a lot of individuals who had never
heard of it,'' said Marcia Weber, a gallery owner in Montgomery, Ala.,
who has handled several Finster paintings. ``He broke ground.''
Finster's work, consistently imbued with evangelistic themes that
exhort the viewer to repent and accept Christ, became popular in the
early 1980s in New York art galleries.
``He took the word of God and did it entirely in his own way, this
eccentric, unconventional manner,'' said Lynne Spriggs, folk art curator
at Atlanta's High Museum of Art, which holds the world's largest
collection of Finster works. ``He was a tireless artist and a great
teacher.''
Finster's widest exposure may have been from music cover art.
In 1988, the Georgia-based rock band R.E.M. asked Finster to make
the cover for its second album, ``Reckoning.'' The Talking Heads, a
musical group of former art students, also commissioned Finster for
the cover of its ``Little Creatures'' recording.
Finster was also known for his three-acre Paradise Garden, which he
described as a ``folk art haven,'' built in 1961 on filled swampland
behind his home in Pennville in northwest Georgia.
Paradise Garden features mosaic cement paths, a giant cement boot,
the Tomb of the Unknown Body and Finster's folk art chapel. For years,
he spent Sunday afternoons at the garden greeting visitors. He later
moved to nearby Summerville, and Paradise Garden is now largely
owned by the High Museum of Art.
Finster was born on a small farm in DeKalb County, Ala., on Dec. 2,
1916, and became a Baptist preacher at age 16.
For more than three decades, he traveled Alabama, Georgia and
Tennessee preaching at tent revivals and supplementing his income
with odd jobs, including plumbing and bicycle repair.
In recent years, most of Finster's work was advertised on his Web site,
with the artist himself working at an almost assembly-line pace.
``We can call it commercialism, but his aim is that his art serves a
didactic function: to spread the word,'' said Lee Kogan, a friend of
Finster's and director of special projects at the Museum of American
Folk Art in New York. ``His art serves God. He's interested in getting
this message out.''
Survivors include his wife, Pauline Freeman Finster; four daughters; a
son; 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
(trash) bin laden
If you're tired of being reamed out for your “wimpy” or “traitorous” left-wing views about the Bush bombing campaign, you might feel better to learn that your ideas are shared by many counterterrorism experts, as discussed in this article by David Corn. The real revelation, for me at least, was learning that Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, erstwhile guitarist for Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, now makes his living as a "military-technology expert," flakking high-tech terrorism solutions to the defense industry. I couldn’t help it, as soon as I saw his name I started humming Bodhisattva.(Would you take me by the hand/Can you show me/The shine of your Japan/The sparkle of your china...?)
what does dave do on this night which makes it unlike other nights? he listens to the concert for daves america on the transmission wire while he watches the men hurl things and brandish finely tooled sssslabs of wood on the moving picture box.. he wishes to comment on the proceedings and he calls upon you, those that bow down before him (and sometimes after him) to take heed of his words (and then to unheed them soon after).
dave thinks somethings are better heard and not seen (and sometimes not heard as well) the backstreet boys and melissa ethridge are fine examples dave might mention.
dave thinks despite the majority of his movies adam sandler can still be funny. his performance tonight dave thought was an instant classic. i dont know if rudy was there but the whole crowd hooted down mark green and soon after lovingly crooned 'guiliani' en sotto voce.
it is true what dave says, that lands exist beyond the waters. legend has it that once on The Far Shores he takes on new form as a dark red taurus, the color of blood, and can travel at magnificient speeds. it is a wonder he is not torn apart by the brute forces of nature. but that is what makes him dave.
dave now listens to a cacophony over the transmission wire as the assembled chant as one a sound much like an owl. he wonders why he did not think this concert was worthy of his Presence.
we are reminded of the wonders that dave speaks of from his wonderous travels across the water. here he is reacquainted with "rock blocs" emanating from teenage wastelands from The Early Years from The Time Beffore. also there are men (and sometimes women) who speak only of lewd and procreative acts (my love is vengence) in a frenzy of words and beats that can only hope to enliven and debase the spirit at once. this lesson is not lost on dave during his journey (to only dave know where). he too had trouble reading the signs even though the directions were within reach at all times. were it not for the fortuitousness of the turns that he did make would he not have reached his destination? (if he ever had one. it is said he is rootless, unlike the root which is rooted.)
Will We Not Get Fooled Again?
now the Lipps thats Curled (and now curdled). dave asks if it is ever possible to know which mick was finer at his craft, the one they call Mantle or the one who is Jagger. one thing that dave would say is that despite all the orgies of masculine nakedness that both of the micks endured, he is sure that the Jagged One handled his bat in an entirely different manner than the one who wielded one for the damned yankees of the forbidden zone.
dave reaffirmed on his visit to The Far Shores that watching the visual text he calls Meet The Parents causes The All Unknowing One physical discomfort to the degree where he can no longer endure the psychic sensation and must alter his visual text in order to mitigate his circumstances.. this torture he has termed 'humor' and it is his achilles heel or it would be called as such if dave had any respect for achilles. but seeing as achilles was a hopeless prevaricator and merely an "enhanced" humanoid, dave would not like to associate himself with such a hero.
what does kid rock have to say to the children? dave wants to know. he also wants to know how can people actually refer to another humanoid as p. diddy without losing a thing the humans know as dignity?
dave thinks macy gray did justice to Little Help From My Friends, especially considering she must follow The Jagged ONe.
The Crowd in the Garden does not like the one they call Hillary, even with the one they call Bill looking on. now even the Bill is met with a chilly reception. these people in The Forbidden City must have come from the Rebulica Hinterlands. but the Bill can win over The Crowd like the one they call HIllary never will.
WHo let James Taylor back in? dave becomes nostalgic for a time that never was. the men in uniforms continue to partake of sport, the pursuit has become meaningless without the words.
dave enjoyed the firefighter who taunted The Evil One. the fireman ended his taunt with "and i live in Rockaway and this is my face, bitch!"
The Rudy speaks in his platitudes to His people. The Crowd cheers for Yankee roundballers from The Forbidden Zone. There the Rudy is King for Another Day.
if only Sinatra were alive, it would all be ok. but it isnt.
its the melloncamp with a terrible new jingle. it is thought that dave once lived in The Pink House.
dave waits for the Walrus (what would john think?) and then he will be no more. and we can all (once again) praise dave for that.
dave thinks somethings are better heard and not seen (and sometimes not heard as well) the backstreet boys and melissa ethridge are fine examples dave might mention.
dave thinks despite the majority of his movies adam sandler can still be funny. his performance tonight dave thought was an instant classic. i dont know if rudy was there but the whole crowd hooted down mark green and soon after lovingly crooned 'guiliani' en sotto voce.
it is true what dave says, that lands exist beyond the waters. legend has it that once on The Far Shores he takes on new form as a dark red taurus, the color of blood, and can travel at magnificient speeds. it is a wonder he is not torn apart by the brute forces of nature. but that is what makes him dave.
dave now listens to a cacophony over the transmission wire as the assembled chant as one a sound much like an owl. he wonders why he did not think this concert was worthy of his Presence.
we are reminded of the wonders that dave speaks of from his wonderous travels across the water. here he is reacquainted with "rock blocs" emanating from teenage wastelands from The Early Years from The Time Beffore. also there are men (and sometimes women) who speak only of lewd and procreative acts (my love is vengence) in a frenzy of words and beats that can only hope to enliven and debase the spirit at once. this lesson is not lost on dave during his journey (to only dave know where). he too had trouble reading the signs even though the directions were within reach at all times. were it not for the fortuitousness of the turns that he did make would he not have reached his destination? (if he ever had one. it is said he is rootless, unlike the root which is rooted.)
Will We Not Get Fooled Again?
now the Lipps thats Curled (and now curdled). dave asks if it is ever possible to know which mick was finer at his craft, the one they call Mantle or the one who is Jagger. one thing that dave would say is that despite all the orgies of masculine nakedness that both of the micks endured, he is sure that the Jagged One handled his bat in an entirely different manner than the one who wielded one for the damned yankees of the forbidden zone.
dave reaffirmed on his visit to The Far Shores that watching the visual text he calls Meet The Parents causes The All Unknowing One physical discomfort to the degree where he can no longer endure the psychic sensation and must alter his visual text in order to mitigate his circumstances.. this torture he has termed 'humor' and it is his achilles heel or it would be called as such if dave had any respect for achilles. but seeing as achilles was a hopeless prevaricator and merely an "enhanced" humanoid, dave would not like to associate himself with such a hero.
what does kid rock have to say to the children? dave wants to know. he also wants to know how can people actually refer to another humanoid as p. diddy without losing a thing the humans know as dignity?
dave thinks macy gray did justice to Little Help From My Friends, especially considering she must follow The Jagged ONe.
The Crowd in the Garden does not like the one they call Hillary, even with the one they call Bill looking on. now even the Bill is met with a chilly reception. these people in The Forbidden City must have come from the Rebulica Hinterlands. but the Bill can win over The Crowd like the one they call HIllary never will.
WHo let James Taylor back in? dave becomes nostalgic for a time that never was. the men in uniforms continue to partake of sport, the pursuit has become meaningless without the words.
dave enjoyed the firefighter who taunted The Evil One. the fireman ended his taunt with "and i live in Rockaway and this is my face, bitch!"
The Rudy speaks in his platitudes to His people. The Crowd cheers for Yankee roundballers from The Forbidden Zone. There the Rudy is King for Another Day.
if only Sinatra were alive, it would all be ok. but it isnt.
its the melloncamp with a terrible new jingle. it is thought that dave once lived in The Pink House.
dave waits for the Walrus (what would john think?) and then he will be no more. and we can all (once again) praise dave for that.
Jesco White outlaw dancer
Haven't taken the time to actually read the review, but Into the Light: The Projected Image in American Art 1964-77, at the Whitney, looks like a must-see.
Set list:
BLIND MAN
1401 (aka THE COLORED F.B.I. GUY)
HEY
DUM DUM
PITTSBURG TO LEBANON
HUMAN CANNONBALL
ROCKY
GET DOWN
I SAW AN X-RAY OF A GIRL PASSING GAS
CHERUB
SHAME OF LIFE
THEY CAME IN
22 GOING ON 23
DRACULA FROM HOUSTON
PEPPER
JIMI
DUST DEVIL
ENCORES
WHO WAS IN MY ROOM LAST NIGHT
THE SHAH SLEEPS IN LEE HARVEY'S GRAVE
BLIND MAN
1401 (aka THE COLORED F.B.I. GUY)
HEY
DUM DUM
PITTSBURG TO LEBANON
HUMAN CANNONBALL
ROCKY
GET DOWN
I SAW AN X-RAY OF A GIRL PASSING GAS
CHERUB
SHAME OF LIFE
THEY CAME IN
22 GOING ON 23
DRACULA FROM HOUSTON
PEPPER
JIMI
DUST DEVIL
ENCORES
WHO WAS IN MY ROOM LAST NIGHT
THE SHAH SLEEPS IN LEE HARVEY'S GRAVE
Cool optical illusion (via metafilter)
homegrown terror
Russian military suspected as source of anthrax
question time
get stuffed
Photoshop humor from abroad. (Someone I know received this by email from a friend in Europe.)
Following that most interesting Moody thread last week. I offer this from TheNew Yorker. TM has located a couple of interesting sites searching Google for "history Israel". Any interested parties will please post comparative histories here.
Support grows for Ellison's national ID card proposal
artful dodger
down in the boondocks
Colonies in space may be only hope, says Hawking
I'm posting this here as well as in /systemnews in case you are smart and don't read that page:
A few problems this afternoon around 2:30. Should be fixed now. This was a temporary situation as I put the "big fix" in place that should (I haven't been able to confirm yet) fix the massive problem with some versions of IE and Opera on the MacOS. Let me know if you notice anything screwy. Thanks.
You were probably unable to post or edit for several minutes and there was some weirdness with some of the photos. Should be fixed now.
A few problems this afternoon around 2:30. Should be fixed now. This was a temporary situation as I put the "big fix" in place that should (I haven't been able to confirm yet) fix the massive problem with some versions of IE and Opera on the MacOS. Let me know if you notice anything screwy. Thanks.
You were probably unable to post or edit for several minutes and there was some weirdness with some of the photos. Should be fixed now.
For Linda: Oink!
calling all preppies. anyone who wants 30% off this weekend at j. crew can download this page.
looks like i have to cancell my grand idea of going to providence for the first butthole usa show in 5 years which was a place i could get backstage and hook up with the band, nyc more tough--jim just more proff the WPFT is fading:>)!!
