Checkered House

The artists below are a mix of outsider, folk, southern visionary, and intuitive, artists. They are all self taught. Browse through by artist, see what style appeals to you, read the biographies. We continue to work with most artists and adding to this list on a continual basis. If there is a style you like, but maybe the size is not right or you, contact us. We might have it but it is not represented here.
	Ab the Flagman The nickname "Ab" is short for abstract which was the nickname given to him on his first day of school as a young boy. It stuck. At the age of 7 Ab's father died. A navy veteran, he was given a military funeral and the image of the flags draped over the coffin is what has stayed with Ab and inspired his artwork... Go To Gallery

	Michael Banks Michael Banks was born and raised in Alabama. He was born in 1972 and has been drawing, painting, and creating since he could pick up a brush. His mother encouraged his creative self and he continued to develop until he was about 20 years old when his mother passed. Grief sticken over her death, Michael turned to alcohol and depression and for five years lost the desire to create. In 1997 He was reenergized and has been developing his own style since. Go To Gallery

	Daniel Belardinelli Daniel Belardinelli has spent most of his lifetime expressing himself through his artwork. Through much of his childhood and into his adult years he struggled with focusing his attention, communicating verbally and having an addictive personality. He most recently received a great deal of attention for his journals which he keeps daily and are written in nail polish. They chronicle in a sometimes dark and sometimes rhetorically funny way his struggles every day. Go To Gallery

	Jason Burnett With his own brand of humor and whim, Bessemer, Alabama artist, Jason Burnett transforms salvaged materials into timepieces with forms ranging from robots and fanciful machines to post-industrial relics... Go To Gallery

	Cher Shaffer Her works are powerful, intuitive, visionary, incredibly expressive and draw you in. Her work is intensely personal and often related to her own life experiences. Cher, herself, is strong, enthusiastic, clear and focused, seemingly very solid in who she is, where she has been and where she is going. Go To Gallery

	Chris Hubbard With no formal art training since grade school, Kentucky native, Chris Hubbard (CHUBS) left a 20 year career as a scientist to be “Born Again” as an artist. His first creation was an “art car” and many still associate Chris with art cars. His “Heaven and Hell” car was his first and he still drives this car daily... Go To Gallery

	Athlone Clark Athlone Clarke was born in Jamaica in 1956. He immigrated to the United States in 1985 and has since been involved in the local art movement on various levels. During the mid 80's he made his living as a published free-lance writer. He also painted during this period and took part in several south eastern shows. In the years that followed his writing established a relationship with his visual work and eventually gave birth to a colorful, mixed media off-spring. His work is commonly described as conversational, documental, interactive and even confrontational. The latter description comes from the fact that he has never backed away from the interpreting lightning rod issues such as race, gender, civil rights, politics and even religion. Nonetheless, he strives to make his work truthful, relevant, inclusive, educational, and uplifting. Go To Gallery

	Kim Clayton Kim resides just outside of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where she has a studio and Gallery. Blackwater Gallery. She is an extraordinary artist who gives off the same positive energy in person that her work generates. She has been painting for years and like so many of the artists we show at Checkered House, uses what she or her friends collect for her from junkyards, rummage, etc and transforms items such as windows and refrigerator doors into beautiful works of art... Go To Gallery

	Chris Lawson Chris Lawson's works are in over 1,500 collections worldwide include the Jim Henson Foundation and the International Museum of Collage and Assemblage. Individual collectors include Michael Stipe, Julianne Moore, Morgan Spurlock, and Moby... Go To Gallery

	Ronald Cooper Ronald Cooper and his wife Jessie live in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. They are both artists, Jessie doing much of the painting and Ronald, making the sculptures. While Jessie was interested in tapping into the artist a little earlier in life, Ronald was encouraged to find his creative side after a terrible car accident left him with injuries and depressed... Go To Gallery

	Dan Dalton Dan is a blues folk artist from Portland, Oregon. He says that the Lord blessed him with the gift of wasting paint. He is a self taught artist that uses found objects or the finest junk he can find at garage sales. His inspiration is obviously the "Blues" as well as Gospel music. Both of these are plentiful in Portland. His work began as a hobby when he and his wife were raising their children and grew in the garage until one day he realized the demand for his work. He puts a bible verse on the back of each art piece. He feels it is kind of like getting a gospel fortune cookie with every piece of art. If you don't like the art, you can flip it over and hang the verse. You will love the mixed media, the whimsical way he portrays each artist and realize his love for the music when you see his pieces. Go To Gallery

	Theresa Disney Theresa Disney paints her stories. Her works are in mixed media, probably known best for her clay works and paintings as of late with animals, whimsical themed pieces incorporating angels and devils, and quite a few nudes or portraits... Go To Gallery

	Brian Dowdall Brian is exactly the colorful person that you might think he might be when you see his artwork which is always centered around comical, fun, and imaginative creatures that are just good for the soul... Go To Gallery

	Dr. Bob Dr. Bob was born in 1952 in Kansas and came to New Orleans later in life. He is half crow Indian and half French/German. His art has become synonymous with New Orleans and his phrase “Be Nice or Leave!” is probably his most infamous of phrases that he paints... Go To Gallery

	Eric Legge There is much on line that one could find out about Eric Legge….he was born in Decatur, Illinois, and grew up in Georgia. He graduated college with two degrees; one in Anthropology and one in Philosophy. He currently resides with his father, Joe Legge, in Rabun Gap, Georgia where they both pursue their life interest, art. Go To Gallery

	Paul Flack Paul is one of those artists who is not only a gifted artist but is gifted in the sense that he knows how to help others and is professional in his thought process. He is a co-founder of the “Who Ha Da Da Outsider Artists Fellowship” which is a group of visual artists dedicated to maintaining the standards of folk, visionary, and self-taught artists. Through this organization he spear heads the events, marketing, and exposure for these artists... Go To Gallery

	Gabriel Shaffer Gabriel's unique art is often classified as outsider but contains many elements of graffiti writing, collage and comic book/cartoon illustrations. His art is driven by a manic obsession with the relationships between sound, symbol, and image as they are literally layer upon layer of graffiti, free association, collage and various medias salvaged from assorted locations (i.e. abandoned hospitals, factories, houses, dumpsters). Go To Gallery

	Elayne Goodman Elayne lives in rural Mississippi, where she was born and raised. She has been creating art since she was a teenager but just began selling her art when she gained recognition in 1990. When she began, during the depression, she worked with whatever she could find. Today, her method is not entirely different... Go To Gallery

	Greta Northfield Greta began painting only a few years ago, living in Vermont. She is not classically trained; rather, has learned by seeing, reading, experimenting, and exploring her artistic instincts and interests. Greta's style of painting she calls "blickity blot" which she defines as "inspired by things seen or thought of on the day created". The painting must come out quickly or the idea will cease to exist as a canvas. She was born in 1971 in Lancaster, Pa. and has always been a burning morsel of creativity whether it was in music and theatre in her youth, or gardening, quilting, and bread baking as a young adult. Her work has been showing at more local venues near where she calls home, Batavia, IL. Go To Gallery

	Anne Grgich orn in Portland, Oregon in 1961 Anne Grgich began making spontaneous art at the age of fifteen. She began her lifelong love for creating art by painting in her family's books or making random constructions of junk. She has been working on collage for some time now and is best known for her collage and her books of collage. Her work often represents people she has encountered throughout her life, maybe on a street or through a various encounter. Her work is multi textured, draws you in, is multi layered and you want to just reach out and touch it to better understand it. Go To Gallery

	Haitian Art Haitian Artists have long been revered in the United States for their use of bright colors, tropical village scenes, long necks, and newer more contemporary works on canvas as well as metal work, paper mache, woodworking, and stone sculptures. On a recent trip to Haiti, I was fortunate to spend some time with a group of missionaries in the town of Moron. I was incredibly moved by the experience, people, their life and dedication to arts and crafts. See some of the unique works by artists I met and enjoyed. Go To Gallery

	Ian Pyper In spite of being born with only two fingers and a thumb on each hand, he has drawn ever since he can remember. He is completely self-taught and works intuitively. He treats the act of drawing as a kind of contemplation or meditation. His drawings have been shown in numerous outsider exhibitions in the UK, Canada, the USA, Europeand Japan; in Raw Vision Magazine and in several other grass-roots and outsider publications in theUK, France and the USA. Go To Gallery

	Pat Juneau Pat Juneau, a Louisiana native, began his career as an artist making custom jewelry. This led him to crafting much larger works made of plate steel. His whimsical designs are made to hang and include angels, flowers, musical instruments, a band, and large great faces. They are in all shapes and sizes. The designs are often cut out and this provides the texture and great play of light... Go To Gallery

	C.M. Laster & Grace Kelly After years of personal struggle, CM and Grace Kelly found each other and the healing power of their art. They are visual artists in that they are led along their journey by God and their subject matter is personal as they share their own spiritual struggles and open their lives up to others. If they gain a piece of wisdom that they think could benefit someone, are inspired by a musician or artist, they make art about it... Go To Gallery

	Tommy Lawless Folk Artist Tom Lawless (Tommy) was born in 1961 in St. Louis, Mo where he currently resides. Tommy's quirky lifestyle often incorporates found objects. He is inspired everyday through his encounters with people. His painted interpretations of the folks who cross his path are thoughtful, open, and bold. Go To Gallery

	Lizz Hundley Lizz Hundley, AKA, The Gypsy, was born in Lexington, Kentucky and moved to Chicago as a child. She organized and coordinated a group of performance artists which primarily involved kids ages 6-17. Lizz collaborated poetry and dance to prevent drug and violence among children... Go To Gallery

	Jack Beverland Mr. B as he is affectionately referred to within the Southern Folk art community is a self taught artist and has been painting for just over 14 years when he was diagnosed with Spinal Bifida... Go To Gallery

	Mr. Imagination Mr. Imagination grew up on the south side of Chicago and learned to create at a very young age. He says he knew early on in his childhood that he was an artist. He would create jewelry from refuse he would scavenge from the streets using beads, necklaces, earrings, etc. and would infuse them on to rocks, cardboard, or tree bark... Go To Gallery

	Patti Bryan Patti grew up in Mississippi in the fifties. She has a degrees in both journalism and social work and has been a social worker for over fifteen years. She free lanced writing during much of that time until switching to public relations where she began to make a living as a creative writer. Her creative interests led her to take one class on painting and quickly realized that that was where her heart was. For aboutfifteen years she sold her paintings, until once again her creative side needed some new stimulation and she switched to clay. Go To Gallery

	Mary Proctor Missionary Mary L. Proctor and her husband Tyrone reside in Tallahassee, Florida. She has been painting since 1995, just one year following the loss of her family in a trailer fire. Her family lost, consisted of her Aunt, Uncle, and Grandmother. Her Grandmother to this point had not only raised her, but was the guiding force in her life... Go To Gallery

	Ruby Williams Ruby Williams is from Plant City, Florida. She has been painting for years, having begun as an artist merely decorating her family business produce stand in Hillsborough County. Her simple signs added more life to the stand and caught people’s eye. Once discovered, in 1991, Ruby’s art has brought many a smile to its collectors... Go To Gallery

	Sandy Mastroni Sandy Mastroni is a self taught artist who works in all forms of mixed media from clay and acrylics to pen and ink and both paints and creates three dimensional art... Go To Gallery

	Jack Savitsky Jack Savitsky is an incredibly well known and respected artist, with his pen, marker, and colored pencil pieces being the most familiar. He was born in Northeastern Pennsylvania and was a coal miner until the age of 49 when the mine was closed and he picked up painting as a labor of love and refuge. Go To Gallery

	Jim Shores Jim Shores, born in 1952, is a self-taught artist who lives in Rome, Georgia. He does sculpture, assemblage and environmental art from found/discarded objects. This all started at an early age. Jim’s parents operated a garage that serviced garbage trucks and he would occasionally accompany the drivers to the dumps, finding volumes of things that he began to use to create interesting characters, faces, etc... Go To Gallery

	Willie Tarver Willie was born in 1937 in Jefferson County, Georgia. He began making whimsical cement sculptures later in his life, after retiring from a factory job. His sculptures were quickly discovered as they were of animals, people, fun creatures both real and imaginary (mermaids), creative and mythical sometimes... Go To Gallery

	Tres Taylor Biography Tres Taylor was a biochemist for over 20 years. After visiting RA Miller in 1998, a Georgia folk artist, Tres believes a “paintbrush fell from the sky”. He paints about spiritual seeking, about love, Divine Love, peace, and joy. His subjects are usually monks, couples, and houses, but always the subjects are symbols of love. Tres’ medium is usually house paints and acrylics on roofing paper with putty, which enables him to draw freely, carving strong black lines. Go To Gallery

	Miz Thang Miz Thang is a folk artist from Hawkinsville Ga., a character, and as nice and genuine as can be. She has a masters degree in special education from Georgia College and she has two children. She has been creating art for quite some time but didn’t begin to expand this art into a business until her children had grown. With her art, she hopes to spread a smile and much energy or mojo as she would say... Go To Gallery

	Theo Callozzo Theophani "Theo" Callozzo was born in Colorado in 1979. He grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Theo's primary medium is drawing with ink on paper and painting to create works on a variety of found materials. He uses gouache, acrylic, india ink, sharpies and assortment of pens and pencils in his work. In 2005 Theo completed an artist in residence program at the Tamarind Institute. Go To Gallery

	John T. Unger John T. Unger has achieved widespread acclaim for his innovative approach to mosaic art. From the creation of the world's only tile mosaic weathervanes, to fences and sculpture in which mosaic elements add color to his ironwork, he continues to push the boundaries of traditional techniques. His most recent series combines folk art bottle cap collage with fine Italian glass mosaic... Go To Gallery