Welcome to VisionaryArt.com, where self-taught art has been celebrated for over
a decade. On this site we offer hundreds of beautiful works of art by talented artists
who create from the heart. Many are considered to be "Outsider Artists" in that
they do not conform to mainstream artistic philosophies or ideals, and reside "outside"
the normal constraints of the traditional art establishment. These Outsiders are
driven to create, and their art often springs from deep personal convictions.
Visionary Art is primarily an online gallery featuring quality works of Folk Art by Outsider Artists
from the American South. All artists on our site are Self-Taught, and many are internationally recognized
masters of the genre. We carry important works by many established Folk Artists on our
Artists Page,
and there are multiple ways to search for just those right pieces within
our
Search Pages.
The outsider genre appeals to literally millions of people world-wide. Events such
as the Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, Alabama and the Outsider Art Fair
in New York have raised public awareness of Outsider Art and have helped to make
artists such as
Howard Finster,
Mose Tolliver
,
Bernice Sims,
and
Jimmie Lee Sudduth
household names.
The term "Visionary" has also been used to describe many of these
artists. Some
of these visionaries project specific visions about the future of mankind. These
visions can be idealistic or presented as warnings of the apocalypse to come.
Others create from internal inspiration or "visions", religious or non-religious
in nature. From these visions, they create unique works of art that can create a
visceral connection with the observer.
We have been serving the Outsider Art Community for over a decade, extending
our vision beyond that of an Online Gallery.
We are an excellent educational resource on Self-Taught
Artists and their unique contributions to our world.
Please take a little time to browse our site and learn about Outsider Art.
Thanks again for stopping by. We know you will find many wonderful works of art here at VisionaryArt.com ---Will
Below are a few of the latest happenings in the world of Folk Art...
Purvis Young Passes Away
Purvis Young passed away on April 20th, 2010 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami at the age of 67.
He is survived by four daughters, Kenyatta, Kentranice, Taketha and Elisha, as well as 13 grandchildren.
Purvis Young has been called the greatest pure painter of the twentieth century, trained or not.
His work adorns museums and important private collections worldwide. Purvis could have easily moved out of his home in impoverished Overtown
and parleyed his artistic vision into a life of ease and plenty for himself, but he never did.
Purvis remained true to his roots and as a result, our world is richer for it.
Work by Purvis Young can be seen here.
Visionary Art Celebrates Earthday 2010
Outsider Art has always been about taking cast off objects and making something beautiful
and/or useful out of them. Lots of our artists sincerely believe in the old addage "Waste Not, Want Not." This
philosophy is the essence of Earth Day and is celebrated year-round here at Visionary Art.
As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2010, we invite you to join us in that spirit. Many of the beautiful pieces you
see here were created out of salvaged items such as scrap wood, discarded metal,
and unusable fabric.
You can make a difference for the earth and acquire great works of art at the same time, so its a
double win!
Work made from recycled materials can be seen here.
Visionary Art is now the exclusive representative of Jessie Lavon!
Jessie Lavon is an outstanding Self-Taught Artist from Alabama. Her memory paintings are a delight to behold
and are collected internationally. Her delightful images grace the walls of museums and galleries thoughout
U.S. and abroad. We at VisionaryArt.com are extremely proud that she has chosen us as her
exclusive representative. Her work is currenty very reasonably priced and is just a pleasure to
own. Please take a look at some of the wonderful work we have to offer by this wonderful lady.
Work by Jessie Lavon can be seen here.
The art world is much poorer today after the loss of Alabama/Florida Folk Artist
Woodie Long. Woodie passed away on October 12th, 2009 at the age of 66. Woodie was
a former house painter who picked up a smaller brush when he was 45 and for the
rest of his life created beautiful works of art. Woodie was a pure artist, completely
untrained and exceptionally gifted. His work is widely collected and is represented
in countless private and museum collections. Woodie will be missed not only for
his great talent, but for the warm and gentle human being that he was.
Work by Outsider Artist Woodie Long can be seen here.
Check out our ad in the Fall Edition of Raw Vision Magazine. We chose a piece by Eric Legge' from our private collection to represent our gallery in this edition.
The piece is from August of 2000 and is one of the best examples of Eric's work
during this period. It is a collaborative piece in that the frame was created by
Outsider Artist "Howlin' Wolf". It has never been offered for sale and is
part of our permanent collection. Kudos to Eric for creating such a lasting and
beautiful piece of art.
Work by Eric Legge can be seen here.
A folk art Icon passed away on September 2nd, 2007.
Jimmie Lee was instrumental in bringing folk art
into American Culture.
Jimmie turned Alabama Mud into enduring works of art.
His presence
lent credibility to the most successful
folk art festival in America, Kentuck. Jimmie was instrumental in
helping the Alabama town of Northport, a small bedroom community just across the river from Tuscaloosa,
in its successful quest to become the Mecca of Southern Folk Art.
See our
Jimmie Lee Sudduth Page for more on Jimmie Lee.
Our own Chris Clark was chosen to grace the cover of Birmingham Magazine!
We can't think of an artist that is more deserving of this honor than Chris.
Mr. Clark is nationally known for his spirit sticks, painted quilts, and whimsical furniture. In Chris' hands, common items are effortlessly transformed into beautiful works of art.
Driven to create by a life-altering and thankfully brief encounter with blindness,
Chris' work is filled with the joy of life.
Come, take a look at Chris Clark's work!
Arguably one of the most well-known Contemporary Folk Artists in America passed away on October 30th, 2006.
MoseT helped define "Outsider Art" at the Corcoran Exhibition in 1982. He was the last surviving artist from that exhibition.
Not claiming to be an artist, MoseT was only intereseted in "painting my pictures."
Many a wonderful work of art was sold in front of MoseT's "Big Yellow House" in Montgomery, Alabama.
He will be missed.
Learn more about MoseT here.
We are very proud that one of our very own
Buy Direct Artists has caught the eye of
Southern Living Magazine. Blacktop's unique approach to
the creative process has led him to develop a method of painting
that produces stunning visual effects. Armed with his innovative method
and his talent for composition and natural drawing ability,
creates amazing works that are a true breath of fresh air.
He is a true innovator
and rising talent in the self-taught community. Look for an article in Southern Living Magazine
featuring Blacktop in the coming months.
In their Fall 2006 Edition, Raw Vision Magazine featured the late Reverend R. A. Miller who passed away in March of that same year.
RA was the most famous resident of "Rabbit Town", north of Atlanta, Georgia. The
newly awakened interest in Southern Folk Art fueled by the
influx of Northern Transplants into the Atlanta area certainly helped to
boost RA's popularity, but he was the real deal nonetheless. Many artists proclaim
themselves to be Outsiders,
RA was the genuine article.
The piece by Wilfrid Wood is both touching and inspiring, Several pieces in our collection were used in this wonderfully well-done tribute.
We are very pleased to present to you our newest self-taught artist Emily Riverchild.
Emily has been painting for several years in relative obscurity. Her colorful paintings
hearken back to a special time of innocence. Often her paintings use images
from the sixties and its various social movements melded together with modern themes.
Her work is very reasonably priced and would be a fine addition to any collection
of contemporary self-taught art.
Work by Emily Riverchild can be seen here.