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FIND OF THE WEEK
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, antique artwork by 2nd graders are the absolute greatest. I have an almost 2nd grader, and the artwork he makes right now is so great, I can’t imagine how beautiful it will be to me — hopefully I’m still around! — in 50 years.
This past week I was visiting Austin, Texas, and made sure to pop into if not the greatest store of all-time it’s definitely in the top ten, Uncommon Objects. There’s nothing like walking into a carefully curated antique store with treasures galore, but Uncommon Objects is even more than that, described as a one-of-a-kind emporium and “your eccentric uncle’s attic on steroids.” There’s so much good stuff there it will make your head spin.
Like this work by Ellen Cantrell, a once 2nd grader at St. Elmo Elementary School. There isn’t an exact date on there, but Ellen did win an award for her artwork and of course she did, it’s beautiful. It’s well crafted, it’s free, it’s raw and yet looks so meticulously planned for someone who hasn’t heard of the word proportion, or composition, or any design principles that make good artwork great. There’s nothing like seeing the pure unfiltered art-making of a child, and it only gets better with age.
✌️ every wednesday, this bonus newsletter with bonus outsider art content, including exhibit listings, personal collection highlights, and news of the week, will be sent to paid subscribers. The weekly ‘This Week in Outsider Art’ newsletter that goes out every Sunday morning continues to and will always be free of charge — enjoy ✌️