i've written a little bit about folk art in the past -- how much i love it, how it resonates for me. one of the things i like the most about folk art is that it is virtually impossible to define; it can mean different things to different people, and different artists have varying philosophies, approaches, techniques, etc.
i have a tendency to latch on to the winsome and whimsical, when it comes to folk art. i've mentioned a guy called cornbread, whose guinea hens, in particular, i am very fond of. i love their HUGE eyes and their general spunk.
since i live in a small town and don't travel all that much, i don't get to see a lot of folk art in person. we have some great galleries here in bozeman, but not many of them carry folk artists as much as fine artists. there's a great little place in the emerson center for the arts and culture called tart. the tartress and i go back a few years, and she has been a big supporter of the folk dogs from very early on. so i am partial to the place, for sure.
for the two years or so (or maybe more, memory fails me), tart has carried these super awesome paper maché animals by adair peck. i have loved them since i first laid on them. the big animals -- moose, antelope, etc. -- captured my attention first, maybe because in this part of the country those are the kinds of animals we see. i always liked the idea of hanging a 'trophy' folk animal of some kind. adair's dogs are awesome too -- i was flattered recently when someone asked me if i made those into addition to the folk dog paintings. i wish i could work in 3D like that!
ok, so what is the point? the point is that a paper maché moose is now mine, all mine, in one of the best surprises ever pulled off in the history of surprises. (i don't like surprises, really, and i'm a bit difficult to surprise; thus the praise for this one.) the moose that is mine is one i have been eyeing for a little while, complete with polka-dot antlers and delicious-looking green moose food. i love it! LOVE.
you can't really tell from the photos, but it's about four feet wide from antler to antler, and probably two feet from antler tip to chin. this is not it's final hanging place, but it will do for today. or maybe a few days.
so, the quest to fill my life and house up with folk art continues ...
for as long as i can remember, i have been a fan of folk art. i think what i like best about it is the ’self-taught’ aspect. i love that it’s a genre where people who sort of don’t know what they’re doing (in comparison, i guess, to fine artists, and i know that this is not always the case) — and therefore have almost no pretenses or expectations – just go for it and make art. these people are like me. i mostly don’t know what i’m doing. i put paint on a canvas and shape it into a dog.