I received an email today about the opening of the 10th Anniversary of the Outsider Art Fair in Paris, which runs from today through Sunday (September 15–18) at Atelier Richelieu. I always try to see the Outsider Art Fair when it’s in NYC, but for myself or anyone else who can’t be in Paris for this event, they do have online viewing rooms for this year’s fair which will be available through September 30th – check those out here. As I was browsing through their website, I came across a feature and video on the artist Jon Sarkin, whose work I may have seen in NYC at some point, but the written ..read more

I’ve seen visionary artist Angela Rogers’ art work several times over the past couple years, including the pieces shown below at the 2020 Outsider Art Fair, and then some new pieces again at this year’s Outsider Art Fair. Some communication with the artist ensued, and next thing we knew, we had a nice interview with her about her art and life. Check out the interview here, and learn more about the fascinating art made by Angela Rogers! These two art works are from Rogers’ “Poppets” series, which are considered by her to be talismans and good-luck charms, although some are also intended to bani ..read more

I saw this fun installation of movie art by Rick Fleming at this year’s Outsider Art Fair this past weekend. Instead of “Blockbuster Video,” we’ve got “Rickbuster,” with several shelves of original art meant to represent VHS movie cases. It took a minute for me to make the connection, but this was the same artist who grabbed my attention at the last Outsider Art Fair I attended in 2020. Scroll down below the picture for more information … Installation view of movie art by Rick Fleming at the 2022 Outsider Art Fair. Rick Fleming, born in 1969, lives and works in Austin, Texas. The fact that Ric ..read more

With the Outsider Art Fair coming up this week and weekend in NYC, I’ve seen some advance press, including a story about Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and how he will have a selection of works from his collection of outsider art on view (and for sale) at the Outsider Art Fair. The Stipe collection will be handled by Phillip March Jones, who has an East Village gallery called “March,” which I wasn’t previously aware of, but now would like to visit! The same story mentions R.E.M.’s awareness of – and friendship with – the outsider art legend and Baptist minister Howard Finster, whose work can be seen ..read more

I received an invite to the upcoming exhibition titled Small Works: $100 & Under, taking place at the Fountain House Gallery from November 4th – December 29th. It intrigues me on several levels: one, Fountain House Gallery and Studio provides an environment where artists living with mental illness can express their creative visions, exhibit their work, and challenge the stigma that surrounds mental illness. I’ve seen artists from their program at the Outsider Art Fair several times (including this work by Angela Rogers), and I find the work to be very interesting. Two, the price range of ..read more

I saw these paintings of horses by Marcos Bontempo at the 2020 Outsider Art Fair, and really liked them, the way they’re clearly horses, but somewhat abstract and very painterly at the same time. They were on view at the booth of Galerie Anne de Villepoix, who is based in Paris. Paintings of horses by Marcos Bontempo. Images are © Marcos Bontempo. I’m trying to find out more information about this artist, and am having a hard time finding much. The Galerie Anne de Villepoix website doesn’t give any biographical information, but you can see more of Bontempo’s work on her website. Paintings of h ..read more

I saw this painted wood piece titled “King” by Louis Estape (1938-2015) at the 2020 Outsider Art Fair in NYC last January, and wanted to learn more about this artist. Scroll down to get more information on this artist. It’s a little difficult to find much information on the artist Louis Estape, but here’s what I can come up with: he was born in 1938 in Honduras, and immigrated to the United States in 1946 when he was eight years old, settling in California. As far as his art-making experience, it seems he didn’t start in earnest until around 1985, when he was 47 years old, and began spending ..read more

In a couple hours I’ll hop on the train into NYC to go see this year’s version of the Outsider Art Fair. It’s always a favorite art fair of mine, just because the art is so different from what sees in the art galleries on a regular basis. The fair opened yesterday and runs through Super Bowl Sunday (the 1st), and is located at 548 West 22nd Street. Pictured below are two paintings by Angela Rogers from last year’s show … I’ll be sure to post some highlights from this year’s show after I see it ..read more