b-b-bonus this week in outsider art // march twentieth
folk art pottery from iowa and some of my favorites at an upcoming folk art auction
FIND OF THE WEEK
Like most self-taught artists, folk artists, and non-conforming artists, their friends, family members, neighbors, or onlookers often may say to themselves, “Who would want this junk?” That’s the case of RA Miller. And the answer now is a lot of people.
Reuben Aaron Miller (July 22, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was a self-taught folk artist, best known for his whirligigs, metal cutouts and drawings. Miller began producing outsider art late in life, placing hundreds of his completed works on his property, as well as selling them on the roadside. His work gained wider recognition in the 1980s, when it was featured in a R.E.M. music video, and subsequently exhibited in museums of art. Widely collected, and in constant demand, Miller is acknowledged as one of the more notable senior folk artists in the United States.— High Tramp
This work I first saw scrolling past on Instagram and thought to myself, that kinda looks like an RA Miller piece, but it’s too nice for an RA Miller piece. When I think of his work, it is simple and sometimes really beat up. I would imagine that if you were able to ask artists who would make art out of metal or tin, such as Mary T. Smith or David Butler, like RA Miller, they would tell you it’s not easy. But they make it look easy, and RA Miller really made this one look great!
I love the color palette and the expressive look on this cat’s face. The composition and pose of the cat, with that really long pointy tail, makes this a must-have RA Miller, in my opinion. Hmm…
This work is available for purchase via High Tramp.
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B-B-BONUS
The season is changing, the weather is getting warmer (kind of), and the days feel longer. Which, you know what that means… you got it, another great folk art auction from Ledbetter, this Saturday March 23rd.
I spend most of my very little free time scouring museum collections and galleries to discover works by my favorite self-taught artists. I also really like seeing these auctions because they make my life much easier! My favorite part about these auctions is seeing works I’ve never seen before come out of private collections and into the public view for the first time in a long time. Some of these works are often acquired directly from the artists decades ago.