Howard Finster: The Early Years : A Private Portrait of America’s Premier Folk Artist

Since bursting onto the folk art scene in the late 1970s with his distinct other-worldly paintings, Howard Finster has become the genre’s superstar. Profiled in the New York Times , the Washington Post , Life , and even Penthouse magazine, Finster is collected by galleries and museums worldwide, including the Smithsonian Institution. He has appeared on The Tonight Show , created covers for the rock bands R.E.M. and the Talking Heads, and counts numerous celebrities among his friends. Now approaching 85 years old, Finster and his paintings of a peculiar heaven show no signs of slowing in popularity. But no one has ever completely witnessed the early life and work of Howard Finster. No one has seen the Trion Garden, Finster’s first environmental work of art. No one has seen the young man and young preacher with his family and his work in the Trion setting. No one except his family–until now. With the publication of Howard The Early Years , the artist’s daughter Thelma Finster Bradshaw has created a loving memoir and tribute to her father. As a valuable addition to America’s folk archives, this family album of rare photos and early work presents a private portrait of the public man who leads the national folk art movement.