Last weekend, in a refurbished, slightly fancified barn about five miles from my house, I had the pleasure of meeting a very eclectic group of people. There was a lady who has her own patent. There was a guy who spends a lot of time with masking tape and another who scavenges for old roofing tin. And along with them were “The Dot Man” and “The Flag Man.” So what do all these folks have in common? They’re all artists — outsider artists and folk artists.

Thanks to an annual show that’s been going on for a decade now, I had the privilege of feasting my eyes on a sampling of their — and more than 30 other outsider and folk artists’ — most intriguing handiwork. I have to admit, as with pretty much any art show I’ve ever attended, I didn’t quite “get” all of the things I saw. But I did enjoy seeing it all and learning the stories behind the creations.

Papier-mâché and other work by "Mama Girl"

It was truly awe-inspiring to wander from collection to collection knowing that the compelling sculptures, carvings, paintings, mixed media collages and papier-mâché pieces were made by self-taught artists. And it was even more inspiring to get to hear, from several of the artists, how they had found their art. Some had discovered their talent early in life while others had discovered it much later. Some sort of stumbled upon it while others credited their higher power in guiding them to it. While how they arrived at their art might have differed, pretty much everyone I spoke to seemed to share a sense of necessity in it — in creating their work. And they all seemed to find real satisfaction from their endeavors — ranging from a sort of therapeutic contentment to a serene state of bliss to a joyful ebullience.  The joyful ebullience was contagious.

A robot by Mark May

Although I left with only two small pieces (one really cool robot by Mark May and a papier-mâché sculpture by Mama Girl), I took a lot more with me because each of the “outsiders” and folk artists I spoke to were very generous in sharing the passion for what they do. So the big how-to in this post is this — if you have an opportunity to attend an outsider and/or folk art show, be sure to go and take time to listen as well as look.

FYI — I came home with several ideas and now, more than ever, want to turn our garage into a proper work space for all my craftsy/arty tinkering. As that happens, I’ll post on my artistic adventures with pics, so stay tuned. And, stay tuned for a conversation with Chris Beck, one of the very talented artists I met at the show.

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