Georgia Folk Artist Howard Finster

Howard Finster was born into a family of 13 children in rural Alabama. He claims to have had his “first vision” at the age of three when his dead sister appeared to him. Howard was saved at a Baptist revival in 1929 and was on his way to becoming a preacher and artist. Two years later he felt the call to become an evangelical preacher and he and his wife moved to Chatooga County, Georgia where he worked in the cotton mills and conducted revivals in the towns around his home in Trion. As his family grew, he became a full time pastor until he retired in the mid 1960’s. During his time in Trion he had a vision to create a “park” in his yard for the community to enjoy and to express himself through his creative urges and visions filling the park with all kinds of sculptures, and folk art work. His work consisted mainly of replicas of heavenly visions, mansions and churches.

The Finsters later moved to Pennville, Georgia between Trion and Summerville. Howard repaired bikes and small engines to make a little money and started another “art garden” in his marshy back yard that he called “Plant Farm Museum.” This time his sculptures were bigger and were made of concrete and plywood and contained walls, trellises and featured religious expressions, bible verses and humorous sayings that were probably gleaned from his Appalachian upbringing.

It was during this time in 1975 that Esquire magazine was doing a series of articles on self-taught artists and heard of Finsters work. They did an article on him and dubbed his display “Paradise Garden.” Shortly thereafter, Finster “received” another vision in a dab of paint on his finger while painting a bike and the vision told him to paint sacred art and spread the gospel.

After the Esquire article, people flocked to his museums and the University of Georgia as well as other colleges asked him to come and talk to their art classes and to collaborate on art projects. The American Folk Life Center of the Library of Congress commissioned Finster to produce paintings and their gallery owners promoted his art nationwide. His artwork even appeared on album covers for The Talking Heads and R.E.M. This pleased Finster immensely as he said that millions of people who bought those albums saw the bible verses painted in the artwork and he had reached over a million people for the Lord in just 2 months, fulfilling his vision.

Howard continued to sculpt, paint and travel until he passed away in 2001. By 2010 Finster’s gardens had fallen into disrepair and the county and art supporters purchased the park and started a foundation to ensure its repair and survival. It is even now listed on the National Register of Historic Places! I hope you will take time to take a look at this interesting and humorous folk art. One of Howard’s famous saying was this: I took the pieces you threw away, put them together by night and by day, washed by the rain and dried by the sun, a million pieces all in one. Happy Collecting!

Jillinda Falen has been buying and selling antiques for over 30 years and is a licensed REALTOR and estate liquidation specialist. You can contact her through the Houston Home Journal or via email at jcfalen@gmail.com

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