Howard Finster

Praise the Lord and Pass the Paintbrush: An Interview with American Folk Artist Howard Finster

Smiling angels swoop across the cerulean sky, trees and mountains rise amidst "twenty-six wholesome verses," and David Byrne carries the world on his shoulders like a post-modern Atlas. The painting was the cover of the Talking Heads’ album Little Creatures, Rolling Stone’s album cover of the year in 1985 and the pop world’s introduction to an eccentric preacher/artist named Howard Finster.

It began almost 20 years ago, when Finster began bringing home and assembling items he found in the county dump: old televisions, bicycle and lawnmower parts, bits of mirror and celebrity photographs, jars and hula-hoops, watches and bottles. This backyard transformation of a "dung heap" Finster calls "Paradise Garden" is a singular testament to one man’s creation and Finster’s legacy of posterity. His personal obsession, the garden is an open channel for anyone with "any kind of message to benefit humanity or the forestries [sic] or the animals or the living things of God." Visitors are encouraged to leave their personal statements on the walls, the floor, wherever they can find room. At once intricate and intimate, this constantly evolving hodge-podge of gates, towers and concrete mounds is the foundation for Finster’s detailed paintings and sculpture, which are selling as fast as he can produce them.

His art is a strange marriage of naïve love for all creatures and apocalyptic warning for unrepentant sinners, but in the end his charm overrules his chastisement. The rare honesty and simplicity of Finster’s work, full of bright colors and misspelled words, makes an odd collector caucus of folk-art aficionados, rock stars and fundamental Christians. Such cross-cultural appeal is no mean feat, and Finster admits that one piece of his art can influence more people on its own than he could in 40 years of preaching.

Now 72, Finster is a major draw on the college lecture circuit. But Finster’s motivation to paint doesn’t stem from a desire for fame or commercial success. This self-proclaimed "man of visions" is sincerely devoted to the message of the art, which is the message of salvation. His choice of subject matter is strictly heroic, American and visionary: Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Coca-Cola. His depiction of all things American caused one overzealous collector for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art to dub him "The Andy Warhol of The South." Finster indeed represents that good-ole-boy-makes-good American success story that Warhol achieved and outgrew, and in both cases, art imitates life and vice versa. But that’s probably where such facile comparisons should end. Finster recently visited Los Angeles to accept the annual award given by the Spirit of America Foundation. He is represented in Los Angeles by Gallery Rodeo (421 Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills).

Village View: How can people really believe your fantastic visions are from God?

Howard Finster: I’m a second-grade student. Since I don’t have no educational background and since God gives me these great visions and shows me all this wisdom, they have to believe it’s from God because they don’t have anyplace else to look to for a foundation except for God.

Village View: Why do you like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and George Washington as subjects? What’s inspirational about these people to you?

Howard Finster: You know Jesus Christ, when he was here in this world, he used things to teach people they was familiar to. He wouldn’t take some kind of somethin’ you never heard of and make a parable of it. He took a wheat seed and he described the Resurrection.

Village View: You often use rockets or spaceships in your work. Do you believe in UFO’s or simply the advantages and possibilities of technology in the modern world?

Howard Finster: Several people have seen UFO’s and they’ve described them, ya know. I had a vision going 200 light-years away. My son that was borned in space and I was buried in space and my grandsons grew up in space. I have visions of other worlds and that’s why I’m a stranger in this world…people should know that there’s other planets with life on ‘em…

Jesus came from an inhabited planet. He didn’t come from the barnyard or just over thar’. He came from the greatest inhabited planet where there’s streets of gold and mansions of gold and cities with everything…why don’t people here believe in [other] planets inhabited? I don’t see what’s the matter with people here.

Village View: Tell me about your sculpture garden.

Howard Finster: I got some old people, ya know, they don’t get out no more. They can’t face the public no more. They write beautiful pieces to put on my walls. Those pieces will be there after they’re dead and gone [but] their great-grandchildren might come read their messages, they might get their grandchildren saved 40 years after they’re dead. That’s my place. My place carries everybody’s message that has a wholesome message.

Village View: Do you think being from the South gives your art a different perspective?

Howard Finster: Naw, before I come from this world I come from another world. I’m like Noah. Noah and his family, you know, when he came here, he couldn’t get no support on the Ark…because it was crazy to everybody…I was borned in Alabama and I live in Georgia right now. It don’t make no difference where you come from. If God calls you, He can call you out of a peanut patch and you’d be okay.

Village View: Someone called you "The Andy Warhol of The South." What do you think of that title?

Howard Finster: Well, Andy Warhol can’t do what I’m a-doin’ or Shakespeare can’t do what I’m doin’ —even Abraham, Elvis, all of them — because they’re not Howard Finster. I’m Howard Finster. I’m not Andy Warhol and Andy Warhol has never done what I’ve done and he couldn’t if he’s back here today. I doubt if he could.

Village View: Do you like Warhol’s art?

Howard Finster: Yeah, I like everybody’s art, but everybody’s art’s not my kind of art.