Outsider Art

Artist Comments
During her stay in South Florida, artist Jessica JH Roller visited the beach daily and painted on the calmer mornings. She created this piece during the trip, capturing the short-eared bunnies that emerged from the dunes each day, alongside the emerald and turquoise waters of the Atlantic coast. The folk art style, with its bold colors and black outlines, gives the piece a vibrant and playful quality.

About the Artist
Artist Jessica JH Roller paints whimsical and playful compositions of animals and people, marked by bold colors and primitivist linework. She distills a scene into a few simple shapes, using color to create contrast and vibrancy, often choosing palettes that reflect pop culture. "My adopted kittens, Tony and Larry, opened my eyes and unleashed the artist inside me," shares Jessica. "After, I started to notice birds, trees, color, everything." Jessica brings to life her dynamic creations in the comfort of her studio in her century-old home. She enjoys listening to music and audiobooks while painting with her 18-year-old acrylic-covered easel. When not painting, Jessica cherishes time with her family and five cats, teaches yoga, and enjoys cycling along the river.

Words that describe this painting: ocean, tropical, sea, folk art, rabbits, bunnies, dune, beach, shore, animals, primitive, acrylic painting, green

Beach Bunnies...

Artist Comments
"With the world asleep, the fox's senses are awakened," says artist Jessica JH Roller. Running free through the crisp evening air, the nocturnal creature frol...

Artist Comments
This is the eighth in a series of pieces done from old photographs my mother took of the now extinct amusement park, Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio. Idora Pa...

Artist Comments
In primitivism style, artist Kira Yustak presents a majestic view of the jungle. She draws inspiration from natural phenomena occurring in nature. A prismatic...

Artist Comments
Artist Libby Ramage presents an autumnal scene marked by large leaves falling from the sky. "As the sun fades, a young boy becomes the man," says Libby. Showi...

Artist Comments
"This lovely and graceful girl wearing her new red coat greets her smallest cat," says artist Jessica JH Roller. She holds her wide-eyed pet against her chest as if showing the viewer. The cat stares out with open curiosity. A delightful portrait using bold hues and painterly strokes.

About the Artist
A few months after Jessica JH Roller and her husband were married, they adopted two young Siamese cats from a shelter -- Tony and Larry. Jessica quickly fell deeply in love with the kittens and says the cats changed her. "They opened my eyes - I started to notice birds, trees, water, color, everything. It was as if the artist inside had been unleashed.” Jessica uses bold colors and primitive linework to create whimsical, expressive portraits. She intends to capture real or imagined moments that are both common and extraordinary.

Words that describe this painting: girl, folk art...

Artist Comments
The magic of fireflies fills the field, tempting three clever foxes to chase and capture them. They intend to use the glowing insects for various important pu...

Artist Comments
"On hot summer afternoons on the East Side of Milwaukee, a young man could often be seen carrying his pet Tegu lizard to Bradford Beach so it could bask in the sun," says artist Leroy Burt...

Artist Comments
"On hot summer afternoons on the East Side of Milwaukee, a young man could often be seen carrying his pet Tegu lizard to Bradford Beach so it could bask in the sun," says artist Leroy Burt...

Artist Comments
Artist Johansen Newman paints a portrait of a blonde tattooed woman in front of a wall of pictures. Two gray cats sit with the ...

Artist Comments
Artist Jessica JH Roller crafts a visual tale of a playful interaction between creatures of the night. "Long before the break of day, a bat enters a home, awa...

Artist Comments
"Rosemary and her cat dad need one another to feel completely relaxed," says artist Jessica JH Roller. "Both are so gentle, so kind and if her cat dad sits do...

Artist Comments
Part of Rachel's Rodeo Tarot series. A playful interpretation of The Sun card. The sun hovers above the landscape with a slight smile. Twin girls reach for each other behind the bottom rays and the scene is bordered by prancing horses. The base layer of the painting is acrylic gold paint as a symbol of the heat and fundamental life giving force of the sun. The eyes of the sun are gold acrylic paint. "This sun painting is my version of the Tarot card and influenced by my horse obsessed childhood and my childlike interpretation of the solar being, the childlike sense of completion, openness, and light and my newly linked connection with Tarot," says Rachel.

About the Artist
For Rachel Srinivasan, an idea is worth putting on a canvas only if it still feels exciting after a few days. Rachel enjoys mulling the idea over in her mind for some time before creating an artwork. She hopes viewers will engage with her work and wonder about the subject matter, shapes and colors. "My current work is all about creating a connection between the person on the canvas with the viewer," she explains. She prefers large paintings and sometimes even makes her own canvases. She currently lives in Arizona and enjoys baking rhubarb pies, reading, running and going to art museums.

Words that describe this painting: sun, solar, Tarot card, cosmic, stars, horses, daydream, twins, equine, fantasy, representational, primitive, oil painting, yellow

The Sun Tarot...

Artist Comments
Artist Andrea Doss presents a whimsical narrative of a fairy reading a book to animals in the forest. "She read all sorts of books, but her favorite kind were...

Artist Comments
A colorful scene of a carnival in Rochester, Minnesota, with two young people strapped into their seats waiting for the ride to start. "I love the tawdry splendor of gaudy carnival attractions," says artist Leroy Burt. "Flashing lights and bright colors. One often sees the most unlikely combinations of people who might never meet except during those moments when they sit next to each other on rides."

About the Artist
Artist Leroy Burt paints playful, offbeat landscapes and portraits based on his experiences living in Milwaukee, New York, Costa Rica, and currently Rochester, Minnesota. "I think of my paintings as short stories," he says. As a young child, Leroy faced a number of obstacles. His parents divorced when he was four years old and he was raised by his grandparents in a three-room shack without running water or electricity. Leroy worked hard to pull himself out of poverty. He studied graphic design and painting, which led to a 30-year career in graphic design - five years at WMVS, the PBS television station in Milwaukee, fifteen years at city hall in Milwaukee, and ten years at WNET, the PBS station in New York. In 2015, Leroy retired to focus his energy on painting. Today, he works from a tiny studio filled with half-finished paintings stacked against every wall. "There are photos and sketches for future paintings taped everywhere," says Leroy. "My windows are filled with orchids. There are books, films and music CDs in every corner. And the room is dominated by a black and silver Andy Warhol silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe."

Words that describe this painting: David Hockney, Edward Hopper, carnival, lights, excitement, colorful, folk art, people, representational, primitive, acrylic painting, blue

Carnival Ride...

Artist Comments
The photographs that form the head of this catlike creature are images of the carousel from the amusement park Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio that is long go...

Artist Comments
"This painting depicts a pair of cheerful woodland creatures," explains artist Kira Yustak. "Two chipmunks scamper around on a log in the forest. It's a great...

Artist Comments
Artist Johansen Newman paints a detailed portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. She bases the piece's title on Frida's diary, where she often recorded thoughts about their life together. "I took the words literally by painting Diego only in shades of black and white while rendering Frida in full color," says Johansen. Frida's vibrant clothing and jewelry sharply contrast Diego's limited palette.The painting comes with a handmade, embellished wood assemblage frame painted black.

About the Artist
Artist Johansen Newman captures various characters through charming scenes that often weave nostalgia. A reflection of her fondness for edge and funk prevails in her dynamic portrayal of humans with animals and objects of their affection. As a toddler, her mother gave her crayons and allowed her to draw on the walls of her room. She pursued a degree in painting and printmaking, then furthered her education by studying with Bil Baird at his puppet theater in New York, ultimately forming her puppet troupe. Years of crafting puppets, designing scenery, writing stories, and performing shows developed her arsenal of skills—going on to be an award-winning fiber artist exhibiting throughout North America. She integrates these learnings into her current art practice. "My paintings capture fragments of a tale in a time and place that was, is, or has the promise to become," says Johansen. She works at her studio and display gallery at Gorse Mill Studios, a 19th Century textile mill building in Needham, MA. Her woodworking shop doubles as her home studio, where she constantly evolves her compositions to satisfy her aesthetic. Johansen's work has been featured on the cover of local publications, in pictorial essays, and toured museums across the United States. She was a professional and published illustrator for more than 35 years, including two dozen children's books, three of which she also wrote. Besides creating art, she finds herself an enthusiast of vintage collectibles, jukeboxes, signages, tin toys, neon lights, cookie jars, carnival chalkware...

Artist Comments
Part of Rachel's Rodeo Tarot series. A playful interpretation of The Moon card. The moon hovers above the landscape, embracing circling fish or yin and yang. ...

Artist Comments
I have a succulent in a ceramic sugar skull pot in my kitchen and painted it from life. It has a wonderful expression on its face, and I enjoy the spikey succulent growing from the top like hair.

About the Artist
Kira Yustak paints fantastical scenes that come from her childhood memories, dreams, and the natural world. Each piece feels like part of a larger narrative of an alternative reality, rendered in a style she describes as comic realism. She feels art must trigger something inside the viewer’s soul.Kira currently lives in New Jersey and finds inspiration in the work of Lowbrow, Folk, and Surrealist artists.

Words that describe this painting: sugar skull, cactus, houseplant, garden, plants, day of the dead, succulent, still life, still life, representational, primitive, acrylic painting, green

Cactus Garden...

Artist Comments
"Nothing captures the excitement of New York City like Christmas ornaments in and around Times Square," says artist Leroy Burt. "Thi...

Artist Comments
"The elephant always hosted the best tea parties, everyone agreed," says artist Andrea Doss. "Her dream was to bake a cake taller than the giraffe, but she ha...

Artist Comments
Jessica JH Roller paints a self-portrait of a mastered yoga pose. It captures the geometric beauty of the posture called Ustrasana, or Camel. The subtle curve...

Artist Comments
"It's May in Florida, but you know how it is for those who live there full-time. They get used to the hot weather, and the slightest cool breeze sends them scrambling for a jacket," says artist Johansen Newman. She presents a colorful portrait of Ida, bundled up in layers of clothing and wearing a straw hat. She sits on a folding aluminum chair...

Artist Comments
"After a seemingly eternal summer, five little birds snug in their nest, silently enduring the chill and wind," describes artist Jessica JH Roller. The birds each carry a unique design, colored in similar hues of turquoise, black, beige, and brown. A bright band of orange and turquoise appears above the birds shifting into beige and dark green hues. A balanced composition painted in folk-art style with an energetic palette.

About the Artist
A few months after Jessica JH Roller and her husband were married, they adopted two young Siamese cats from a shelter -- Tony and Larry. Jessica quickly fell deeply in love with the kittens and says the cats changed her. "They opened my eyes - I started to notice birds, trees, water, color, everything. It was as if the artist inside had been unleashed.” Jessica uses bold colors and primitive linework to create whimsical, expressive portraits. She intends to capture real or imagined moments that are both common and extraordinary.

Words that describe this painting: birds, winter, folk art, animals, primitive, nursery, kids, acrylicpaint, small, animals, primitive, acrylic painting, green

Winter Birds...

Artist Comments
Large clusters of hydrangeas burst with vibrant blue hues, while a delicate butterfly perches on top, infusing the scene with life and lightness. Artist Kira ...

Artist Comments
On a trip to Kauai, Hawaii, artist Kira Yusak found inspiration watching the sunrise each morning during her beach strolls. She noticed the colors, clouds, an...

Artist Comments
A white-winged cat soars over a forest on its way to heaven. It wears a happy smile and carries a twinkle in its eyes. Bright verdant hues contrast with textu...