I absolutely love Howard Finster's work. Howard Finster passed away in 2001, but this art teacher continues to spread his folk art to the younger generations. Howard was from Summerville, Ga. You can find loads of information about Howard online at Paradise Garden Foundation. Here's the link to his homepage that his daughter Beverly still has some of his artwork available for sale. Howard Finster Homepage. We have posted several times on Howard Finster. Have a look HERE.
The project?
It started with the book below.
From the inside of the dust jacket.....
"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stocking were hung by the chimney with care, In Hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there....."
So begins Clement C. Moore's beloved Christmas classic, illustrated here with the mesmerizing art of Howard Finster.
Illustrated countless times through the years, this ballad by the nineteenth-century poet is now realized for the first time through the eyes of a popular twentieth-century folk artist. An artist with the gift of imagination for making the ordinary extraordinary. Finster transforms these familiar holiday verses with his unparalleled style and brings a fresh new vision to the classic tale.
Vivid paintings bring to life this story of the chance sighting of the world's best-loved gift giver - Santa Claus. Working in the folk-art tradition, Finster offers an original and exciting visual approach to the well-known Yuletide treasure and creates a fascinating union between the traditional and the uniquely contemporary.
For Finster's many fans and followers, this book is a showcase for his amazing talents and his positive, spiritual outlook on life. The self-taught folk artist and self-proclaimed Man of Visions who developed an international reputation for capturing divinely inspired images, in wood, in stone, and on glass (or any other handy medium), has now captured the magic of Christmas in twelve stunning illustrations.
A selection of inspirational messages that are always incorporated into Finster's art surround the poem, and a brief biography of Howard Finster follows the illustrations. Painting the illustrations for The Night Before Christmashas brought this eighty-year-old folk artist back in touch with his own childhood. From an eccentric, world-renowned visionary come pictures of an earlier, simpler time filled with wonder.
The Reverend Howard Finster dedicates the book with love to all children, Big and small, and his dream of restoring Paradise Garden, his outdoor museum in Summerville, Georgia - a true winter wonderland that attracts thousands of visitors every season of the year."
Howard Finster passed away in October of 2001 at the age of 84. His memory will live on forever in his art and in Paradise Garden in Summerville, Georgia, in the northwest corner of the state.
Directions:
I talked about Howard Finster and showed an R.E.M. video that was filmed at Paradise Garden. R.E.M. at Paradise Garden.
I showed them the book. Yes, I have a copy.
They drew.
They painted Santa.
They painted the angels and the clouds.
They put fun smiley faces on clouds.
I love these Santas and I think Howard Finster would too.
Howard Finster. R.E.M. The Squalls. The Squalls?
The Squalls singing "Na Na Na Na."
The best of times in Athens, GA, in the 1980s.
1965
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