'it's just awesome'

this week in outsider art includes folk art from nova scotia, a dragon and charmette young, plus a new member of the folkartwork collective and meet william h. johnson

Feb 18, 2024

THIS WEEK IN OUTSIDER ART

for daily postings of outsider art visit folkartwork.art or follow on instagram

**JOSEPH SLEEP** Cat, Horsehead and Sun (1978) // Mixed media on canvas sold at *Miller and Miller Auctions*

**FELIPE BENITO ARCHULETA** Dragon (April 9, 1978) // Carved wood, polychrome, and rubber; 76″l x 10″w x 25″h via *Just Folk*

**CHARMETTE YOUNG** It’s Just Awesome (large square 1) (2022) // Embroidery floss on canvas; 24x24 via *Vault Art Studio*

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**RAQUEL ALBARRAN** The Horse with the Human Meatball Toes and the Owl Carry the Bucket of Fruit (2017) // Pencil on Paper; 19" x 24" via *LAND Gallery*

**DAVOOD KOOCHAKI** Untitled (2010-2019) // Graphite on paper; 23.25 x 16.5 inches (59.1 x 41.9 cm) via *Cavin-Morris Gallery*

**MINNIE ADKINS** Roach Terminator (2022) // Carved wood; 13 long x 10 tall via *Possum County Folk Art*

**ROB OBER** Mango (2024) // Acrylic on canvas; 96 x 83 in via *SHRINE NYC*

**MIKKI ITZIGSOHN** Rose (c. 2023) // Acrylic on wooden panel; 11in x 14in via *the artist*

**MORRIS HIRSHFIELD** Girl and Dog (1944) // Oil on canvas; 81,5 X 106,5 cm via *Zander Collection*

**SALLY MAE PETTWAY MIXON** Blocks (2020 & 2021) // Cotton; 60 x 52 inches & 78 x 65 inches via *Souls Grown Deep Foundation*

**ELIJAH PIERCE** Winged Lion (ca. 1979) // Carved and painted wood and bead eyes and glitter; 4 7/8 × 7 × 1 3/4 in. (12.38 × 17.78 × 4.45 cm) via *Milwaukee Art Museum*

**JOE NORRIS** Deer Startles The Geese (1993) // Oil on canvas; 24.5" x 30.5"x .75" sold at *Miller and Miller Auctions*

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FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK

**ANNA MOND** Mad Mushroom (2024) via *the artist*

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WATCHING AND READING

Here are a few things I’ve been reading this past week:

Here are a few things I’ve been watching this past week:

OH WORD?

**MELODY JEAN MOULTON** Minutiae #12 (2024) // Paper collage, UV-filtering acrylic, found frame — *available for purchase via the artist in the FolkArtwork Collective shop*

With the new year comes new opportunities, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Melody Jean Moulton of “Trash Lamb Gallery” in San Diego, California.

Melody is a self-taught artist from California who creates paper collage work cut by hand and is largely intuition-based, letting go of expectations and going with her gut has proven to be her most potent path of creating.

**MELODY JEAN MOULTON** Bait (2022) // Paper collage on vintage glass plate with UV-filtering acrylic medium — *available for purchase via the artist in the FolkArtwork Collective shop*

In 2020, Melody took a huge risk and left her part-time bartending gig to open “Trash Lamb Gallery,” an unconventionally-curated art gallery and gift shop located in the historic South Park neighborhood of San Diego —more than just a space for art; it’s a sanctuary for unexpected creativity and community engagement.

I’m excited to welcome Melody’s work to the FolkArtwork Collective shop, where some of her fantastic works of art are now available for purchase.

SHOUT OUT

Shout out to this song “THERE” by Phoenix-based singer/songwriter Josué Kinter. A celebration of “meditation on the brevity of beauty… and the beauty of brevity,” envisioned and conceived by Josué Kinter, music video directed and brought to life by Mike Buckius.

I really hope to start sharing MORE original music here in 2024 as this page continues to grow and highlight talented visual artists past and present and the beautiful folksy singer/songwriters of today.

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

**WILLIAM H. JOHNSON** Holcha Krake (between 1930 and 1935) // Hand-colored woodcut on paper via *Smithsonian American Art Museum*

Meet William H. Johnson (1901-1970), a Black artist born in South Carolina. Unlike many of the outsider and folk artists shared here, he attended art school (the National Academy of Design in New York City to be exact) and studied and trained in Europe. It was while living in Scandinavia that he was inspired by folk art, and he returned to the United States, where his work transformed from realism to the powerful expressive folk style he is known for today.

The Smithsonian currently has over one thousand drawings, paintings, and prints by Johnson in its permanent collection, and he is today known as a “major American artist,” despite not being recognized for his work until very recently.

“Following the death of his wife in 1944, (textile artist Holcha Krake), Johnson's physical and mental health declined dramatically. In a tragic and drawn-out conclusion to a life of immense creativity…

Johnson spent his last twenty-three years in a state hospital on Long Island. By the time of his death in 1970, he had slipped into obscurity. After his death, his entire life's work was almost disposed of to save storage fees, but it was rescued by friends at the last moment.”

Later this month, you can read about “13 Black Folk Artists from the American South” in an article I wrote that will be published in DailyArt Magazine. Stay tuned!

FROM THE COLLECTIVE

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