the creeps

this week in outsider art includes artwork by joseph sleep, photos of mary t. smith, a bill tralyor appreciation post and a few incredible des moines artists who inspire

Jun 23, 2024

THIS WEEK IN OUTSIDER ART

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

**MIKE COMBS** Creep (date unknown) via *the artist*

Mike Combs is retiring his painted 'creeps' (see more here!), these are the last of this fantastic series, available for purchase if you're interested by messaging him directly at @chomberton

**JOSEPH SLEEP** Two Lions (1976) // Acrylic on masonite; 23.5" x 28" (approx.) via *Black Sheep Gallery*

Mary T. Smith's yard and work area // via *Souls Grown Deep Foundation* (photos by William Arnett)

» free preview of this week’s B-B-Bonus This Week in Outsider Art newsletter «

**ARTIST UNKNOWN** Pig shoes (ca. 1980; China) // Synthetic fabric, cotton, trim; 1 15/16 x 2 3/16 x 5 1/8 in. (5 x 5.55 x 13 cm) via *Museum of International Folk Art*

**WILLIAM HAWKINS** Boffo (date unknown) // Alkyd house paint on Masonite with fiberboard horns; textured mane and raised body made of alkyd paint mixed with broken starch chunks (possibly dried glue); 44 1/2 x 51 1/2 inches (113 x 130.8 cm) via *Philadelphia Museum of Art*

**BILL TRAYLOR** Self-Portrait (ca. 1939–40) // Gouache and pencil on cardboard; 17 1/4 x 11 3/8 in. (43.8 x 28.9 cm) via *Met Museum*

Bill Traylor (c. 1853 – 1949) was an African-American self-taught artist from Lowndes County, Alabama. Born into slavery, Traylor spent the majority of his life after emancipation as a sharecropper. It was only after 1939, following his move to Montgomery, Alabama, that Traylor began to draw. At the age of 85, he took up a pencil and a scrap of cardboard to document his recollections and observations. From 1939 to 1942, while working on the sidewalks of Montgomery, he produced nearly 1,500 pieces of art. #Juneteenth

**UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST** 'UNION' (early 20th century) // Carved and polychromed wood with metal; 29 x 22 x 1 inches via *High Museum of Art*

**MOSE TOLLIVER** Self-Portrait at 84 (1978) // House paint on plywood; 20 13/16 x 16 13/16" via *American Folk Art Museum*

**ARTIST UNKNOWN** Pictorial Hooked Rug (circa 1900) // Cotton; 28 ½” x 57”; with caption “My In-Laws so help me Heaven, Call at IX am, leave at XI pm. My Husband might a stranger be, so little alone are he and me.” via *Thomaston Place Auction Galleries*

**RON RODRIGUEZ** Pig with wings (2001) // Wood, paint, glass, fiber, glue; 10 7/16 × 7 7/8 × 13 3/4 in. (26.5 × 20 × 35 cm) via *Museum of International Folk Art*

My six-year-old is my new favorite artist 😍

**PAULINE SIMON** The Ocean (no date) // Oil on canvas; 28 x 40 inches via *Intuit Art Center*

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FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK

**CHARULATA PRASADA** Livestock (2022) // Collage on paper; 20 in x 16 inches courtesy *the artist*

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WATCHING AND READING

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

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

OH WORD?

» The Artwork of Jim and Sue Heemstra «

The other day I was driving home from the grocery store and noticed neighbors up the street having a garage sale, with what appeared to be three tables full of pottery. Of course, I was immediately intrigued but because I was driving around with two small young and hungry children, I had to hurry home.

Later that dayI walked back by and met Jim and Sue Heemstra, who create some of the most amazing and incredible works of pottery I’ve ever seen. My neighbors!

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A post shared by @folkartwork

Sue has been painting and making artwork forever, but Jim who had worked in commercial photography up until the pandemic, just started hand throwing pots, little chairs, plates, and contributing to these unique totems that Jim and Sue stack on top of each other — some reaching heights as tall as eight feet tall.

They don’t share their work often, but were kind enough to invite me and my rowdy children over the very next day for a studio tour and yard sale of their truly mesmerizing and unique works of art.

As Jim mentioned to me he’s a bit of an “outsider” and largely taught himself to make these works, I mentioned I’m probably your worst nightmare because I have a myriad of questions and want to spend as much time with their artwork I as I can.

I hope to get to know the Heemstra’s more and with their blessing show more photos and videos of their wonderful artwork.

SHOUT OUT

Shout out to b. Robert Moore, self-taught artist from Des Moines, Iowa whose first ever museum show just opened this weekend at the Des Moines Art Center. The opening reception wasn’t as much of an opening as it was an event, full of community and inspiration and good vibes had by all. If you have the chance, please do yourself a favor and check out this one of a kind exhibit.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

» MEET THE COLLECTOR SERIES PART SIXTY-NINE — Adam Oestreich, Iowa «

FROM THE COLLECTIVE

JACKIE is a neurodivergent, endometriosis warrior folk/outsider artist who started creating when she was running a small home daycare and would use the kids’ leftover paints to make mirror image paintings and continued making art since as a means to quiet my mind and body.

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