Outsider Art

Artist Comments
Artist Johansen Newman paints a portrait of two men with their shaggy-haired dog and two cats. A diverse array of potted plants...

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Artist Lee Smith paints a golden-haired young woman walking her lively pup through a neighborhood. “Monica loves getting out in the...

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"I am fascinated by people surrounded by the things they love," shares artist Johansen Newman. She paints a couple posing proudly with their blue and white stoneware...

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Artist Pamela Hoke exhibits a striking image of a Gingko leaf. A potent painterly expression of the much adored and documented anci...

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Artist Johansen Newman displays a detailed portrait of a woman carrying a potted plant. Birds sit on the branches and planter a...

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"Beja was an entertainer at one of the most colorful and notorious bars in Milwaukee," states artist Leroy Burt. "C’est La Vie cater...

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Artist Jodi Dann paints an image of lemons with a contemporary approach. The zesty fruit falls throughout the composition as a literal play on the title. Jodi...

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Artist Lee Smith paints a playful pack of dogs leaping headlong, intent on the fun. Bold linework with teal highlights outlines their rich golden hues. The wh...

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Artist Lee Smith presents a mischievous-looking rabbit in the act of running away. She leaves out the pursuer from the composition, allowing the viewer to create their own narrative. Bold black linework with strategically placed teal accents outlines the patterned golden hues of the charming hare. The gray background allows the subject to take center stage, enhanced with a complex system of white tick marks, which add interest and help create the feeling of action and motion.

About the Artist
Artist Lee Smith combines abstract, expressionist, and gritty contemporary art in her work. “My style is greatly influenced by years spent in CGI production and an unapologetic love for the daily comics,” says Lee. As a keen observer, she finds her inspiration in the social aspects of life. Her work represents human emotions and portrays these emotions by illustrating the animal world, often using those popular companions—cats and dogs. In her long professional career, Lee has worked as a newspaper layout artist, a visual merchandising specialist, a freelance graphic artist, a technical illustrator, and an art director. Lee retired from the corporate world ten years ago to concentrate on her art career. “Although I studied art in college, I prefer to describe myself as 'self-taught.' Years of irreplaceable hands-on experience have provided an extensive and invaluable continuing education in the arts,” says Lee. When building her current home in Oregon, she added a small studio that she keeps organized and clutter-free. She wears her trusty paint-covered denim overall when working, and typically listens to audiobooks or podcasts. “I have dozens of paintbrushes in cans all over the studio, but I have only about 10 favorites that I always use.”

Words that describe this painting: rabbit, bunny, grin, teeth, eyes, pattern, running, run, leap, leaping, animal, ears, feet, legs, jack rabbit, mixed media, playful, animals, mixed media artwork, grey

The Getaway...

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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...

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"There is nothing better than welcoming a new day with the sun shining in a cloudless sky," says artist Pat Forbes. Topsy turvy monochrome structures in pale ...

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"The subtle feminine face in this piece displays an expression of definite reluctance to commitment," says artist Sharon Sieben. A woman bathed...

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...

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"The moon and stars twinkle in the night sky while lights from windows create their own firmament," describes artist Pat Forbes. A charming cityscape created with marks, scratches, and drips of color. Irregularly built structures stack up to the starry night sky in a cool monochrome palette. The result is a quirky and captivating piece.

About the Artist
Pat Forbes is an abstract painter whose aesthetic is heavily influenced by her 20 years as a collector and dealer of Middle Eastern textiles. Pat, who lives on the west coast of Florida, uses a neutral palette to present her interpretation of the world around her– from marshes and mountains to stones and spiderwebs. She is drawn to pattern and design, both of which influence the use of balanced repetition in her work. Pat’s muted colors invite pensive meditation, while her deliberate use of line guides the eye through satisfyingly symmetrical compositions.

Words that describe this painting: architecture, night, buildings, moon, stars, windows, city, cityscape,, architecture, acrylic painting, blue

Good Night...

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"This playful reptile rests amongst native flowers and insects," says artist Jessica JH Roller. A happy crocodile comfortably relaxes against a pastel pink ba...

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Using her signature folk art style, artist Jessica JH Roller captures a tranquil scene of a woman sitting on the shore, looking out longingly at the sea. A q...

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A man collaged out of sheet music sings loudly in a visual stream of maps. His animal companion howls a silent tune. Artist Libby R...

Artist Comments
In 2016 I inherited an envelope of old photographs my mother had taken at a closed and soon to be demolished icon of my area, Idora Park. This old amusement p...