Each year before the Christmas season starts outsider artist Stefan Maguran as project manager organizes an outsider festival, it is and always has been a love affair of Stefan and his wife to which they have had to make sacrifices along the way to keep it going.  They believe it has been very worthwhile and plan to keep the show up and running for the next five years.

PAINTING PORTRAITS

This portrait painting was painted by Stefan himself and he surprised me with this as a gift when I came to drop of my paintings for this year’s show.  Wow what a lucky girl I am, such a generous thing to do and so much fun for me to have.  I was genuinely touched and felt very special, Thank you so much Stefan, you made my day, that’s for sure.  I really like the composition with my mosaics in the background with all the hearts and also with the text; far och mor, which in Swedish means Father and Mother (whom both are much loved by me)  Stefan also expressed an idea for a further portrait of me, something special he had in mind, so I will keep you posted on that.

FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ART SHOW

Anyway this year is very special as it is the 5^th year anniversary show and it is free to participants and the public with artist from far and wide, this year the USA, France and Argentina are represented as well as the Australian contingent.

OUTSIDERS ART FESTIVAL

Stefan says;” From the onset the name Outsider Festival has caused controversy, as it is a name mostly used by Insiders to describe a certain type of work, rather than to describe people from the outside of the establishment. It has been named a low-key event by people getting tens of thousands of dollars from the public purse to organize similar events on a larger scale and with strict entry rules that are non-existent here. The festival has been marred by strange events such as one artist being asked by a well known gallerist ( no longer operating, sadly) to pull out on the first Saturday after the opening, another artist being threatened if he took part by one of his mentors.”

ART CRITICS

So as you can hear this festival it is not without it’s critics, which is another reason I LIKE to take part.  I like the idea that anyone who wants to can take part and the fact that Stefan puts the show on for the love of art.   I like the interesting artists and artwork on show and the library location makes it accessible to people who may not otherwise go to an art gallery.

I don’t strictly fit into the category of an outsider artist neither by the art critics’ categorization nor by Stefan’s either as for the most part the artists are unrepresented by a gallery as in my case that is clearly not the case.

OUTSIDER ART

So what is Outsider Art I hear you say?  Well it is a little bit hard to define and it depends upon who you are talking with.  However the general conscientious is that the work is out of the mainstream so to speak.  The artists are usually self taught and follow no rules and paint for themselves and because they have to, want to and cannot stop.  Their work does not conform to the fashion of the day and the techniques can be unconventional.  Another word for Outsider art is Art Brut which means art in a “raw” state, uncooked so to speak.

ART BRUT

I have seen it mentioned that there is a distinction between “art  brut” and Naive art, and that is that the Naive artist remain within the mainstream of painting proper, and they do this because they hope for public recognition.  However I cannot agree with that all, I have seen many artists work that straddle the two worlds and morph into one.

NAIVE ART

From an Naive artist perspective if anything is a point of difference between the two genres it would be that the Outsider art shows often a more troubled soul with work in the muted tones perhaps a bit more confronting and darker.  Whereas the Naive artist’s artworks in general depict a colorful and happy world.

Artists taking part this year:

Stefan Maguran, Marie Jonsson-Harrison, Jungle Phillips, Claudio Braier – Argentina, Jeff Roland – France, Edward Kingsbury III – USA, Mike Retter, George Pivas, Jeanette Nash, Frederique Albou, Liz Parkinson, Sunyata, John Douglas.

This show will be open from this week until 10^th December at the The West Torrens Auditorium

1 Brooker Terrace Hilton, opening hours as follows; Mon-Tue & Fri 10am – 6 pm, Wed 8am – 6 pm, Thu 10 am – 8 pm Sat 10 am – 4 pm Sun 1pm – 4 pm

Here is a quote I think fits well here by Alan Sherman;

“A “Normal” person is the sort of person that might be designed by a committee.  You know, “Each person puts in a pretty color and it comes out gray.”

So come along and see the show and perhaps I will see you there,

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALEand SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

This acrylic painting was the cover of Artlink Magazine for the summer edition 1992-1993, and I was absolutely thrilled.  I had only been painting for about 5 years at the time but was already working full time at it and loving every minute.

PLAYBOY MAGAZINE COVER

In my previous career as a model I had of course appeared on quite a few covers over the years, among them this Playboy Magazine cover.  Oh I know what you are thinking, lol but there is no need for anyone to go out and order any back copies of the magazine as I only appeared on the cover and it was a head shot too, bad luck, lol!   I was overseas modelling when the Playboy cover came out and had broken off with my boyfriend (whom I later married) and he said he got the shock of his life when he walked into a shop and saw it.  His mate that was with him promptly bought the magazine and “hubby to be” was apparently mightily pleased I wasn’t a centerfold!

ARTLINK MAGAZINE COVER

So to be commissioned to do a cover of a magazine in a completely different profession pleased me very much.  The brief was to create a cover that had something to do about art.  So I painted 2 paintings (the other, I will tell you about another time)on the art theme, if you look closely at this painting, “The Artist Camp” you will find a lot of the different forms of art represented.

FROM TOPIARY ART TO BODY ART

Starting from top left and going across you will see; Topiary– which is the art of clipping and training bushes and trees into different shapes, a form of living sculpture.  Then there is a Landscape artist and the nude model posing for a Figure painting, a small detail from Picasso representing both the Cubism and Abstract Art, followed by Body Art.

FROM FABRIC ART TO TATTOO ART

Next row down the lady is doing some Fabric Art and the stereo typical Outsider Artist, Art Brut or Art Raw with the Physiatrist and the patient in the straight jacket.  With all this political correctness my portrayal of that may offend however as I count myself in that bracket too as a Naive or Naif Artist I hope it is met with the humor I intended.   Next we have a so called Sunday painter with a Portrait of a cat and Aboriginal Art followed by a Graffiti Artist, Art for Therapy in prison and finally the Tattoo Artist and the little girl being inspired to love art by all of them!  I think the Bull Terrier is up to no good with the bike though,lol, not sure he has art in mind.

ARTISTIC TALENT

Whilst I do appreciate art schools and the skills they teach to art students, I do believe that a lot of the time they turn out artists who paint just like their teachers and sometimes their own fresh ideas are belittled.  My own take on the matter is that EVERYBODY has an artistic talent of some sort, some find that talent early whilst for others it may be a life time exploration.  However what I think matters most is the passion and enjoyment of creating and not necessarily the final result.  I would encourage everyone to find the inner child, to borrow from Mark Twain – explore, dream and discover but this time in relation to art and not travel.

Here is some lyrics from a song I really love called The Cape by Guy Clark which I think fits well here;

“He’s one of those who knows that life
Is just a leap of faith
Spread your arms and hold your breath
Always trust your cape”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting or whatever turns you on,

Love Marie xxx      (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Look out the Outsiders Art Festival which opens next week in Adelaide.  This is an annual event organized by Stefan Maguran, who calls himself an underemployed artist and Project Manager.

This Giclee print “Expose yourself to Art” is one of my pieces which is included in this show.  The original artwork was done in handmade ceramic and mosaic.

THE OUTSIDERS FESTIVAL MUSEUM

The festival takes place at several venues across Adelaide and the driving force behind it all is of course Stefan who has worked tirelessly on this project for months.  According to his art website, the festival and The Outsiders Festival Museum is entirely sponsored by the Maguran family budget from his extremely patient, caring and understanding wife and her salary.

So on behalf of the 40 something artists involved we thank you!  The artists this year are from around the world with works from Spain, France, UK, USA, Taiwan, Turkey and of course Australia.

OUTSIDER ART

So what is Outsider Art I hear you say?  Well it is a little bit hard to define and it depends upon who you are talking with.  However the general conscientious is that the work is out of the mainstream so to speak.  The artists are usually self taught and follow no rules and paint for themselves and because they have to, want to and cannot stop.  Their work does not conform to the fashion of the day and the techniques can be unconventional.  Another word for Outsider art is Art Brut which means art in a “raw” state, uncooked so to speak.

ART BRUT

I have seen it mentioned that there is a distinction between “art  brut” and Naive art, and that is that the Naive artist remain within the mainstream of painting proper, and they do this because they hope for public recognition.  However I cannot agree with that all, I have seen many artists work that straddle the two worlds and morph into one.

NAIVE ART

From an Naive artist perspective if anything is a point of difference between the two genres it would be that the Outsider art shows often a more troubled soul with work in the muted tones perhaps a bit more confronting and darker.  Whereas the Naive artist’s artworks in general depict a colourful and happy world.

Perhaps what makes this Outsider Festival a little bit different is that the work is very diverse and manages to straddle several other genera of art as well.  If you would like to see some of the works without travelling all the way to South Australia have a look at this fabulous new publication edited by Stefan Maguran called the Outsiders Festival 2011.

For the rest of you here, do come and see for yourself as I am sure there will be something for all of you to enjoy.  For the first time this year the festival includes Outsiders Short Film Festival, with films from Australia, UK and Taiwan as well as a performance by Hot Tutti (part of the Tutti Ensemble).

DATES;

1-30 November 2011

Official opening;

2^nd November 2011

1.00 – 6.00pm

The West Torrens Auditorium

1 Brooker Terrace Hilton

Also individual exhibitions at the following Galleries;

Black Diamond Gallery

66 Commercial Rd

Port Adelaide,

Jungle Phillips Gallery

558 Marion Rd

Plympton Park,

Langdons

215 Sturt Rd

Adelaide,

Stefan Maguran Gallery

316 Anzac Highway

Plympton.

So here is a saying that amused me greatly from the Simpson and reminds me that as an artist you do have to have thick skin, lol.

“Your husband’s work is what we call “outsider art.” It could be by a mental patient, a hillbilly or a chimpanzee.”

Love

marie

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALEand SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.