Outsider Art

Kurt Anderson, Studio 360, is talking about Outsider Artists this morning. My dad was an outsider artist. Untrained, non-verbal, out of the circle, but the description can stop there. Anderson declares that these people are often prisoners, molesters of children, drug addicted misfits. My dad did not fit that list in any way. He was a blacksmith, which is a bit out of the ordinary today; but it wasn't unheard of in his era.

The term Outsider Art first came into my awareness when I edited a biography of my father with an appendix of over 100 of his artworks. I sent the work to be copyrighted by the Library of Congress Copyright Office. The subject heads were his name, Sacrison, Axel 1899-1966, Outsider Art-South Dakota, and Finnish American-- South Dakota. The LOC is not correct about having one copy. They have four. Call Number ND237.S14 A4 2002

I had to look it up on www.google.com to see what Outsider Art is all about. I don't think a person has to collect junk or cut off a body part to be an Outsider Artist. Maybe all that is required is not being able to go to school. Maybe it is the drive of the gift to create in spite of adversity. When I was a small child, I thought my dad painted all night after blacksmithing all day. He would be painting when I went to sleep and painting when I awoke.

The smell of oil paint still does a number on me and I revert to the time when our small house walls were covered with large paintings in various stages of completion. Oil paint permeated everything, but to me was the pleasant association with that of a very loved and secure childhood.

The book is Artist and Blacksmith, Axel Sacrison. It was another time, another place and it was good. Life is good.