When I was a kid I was hypnotically fascinated by two miniature gardens in the small town where I lived. One was in my neighbourhood, mini houses built by cement and collections of small stones, in a private garden, and the other was situated close to where my grandparents lived. Passing by those places I always begged my parents to drive the car extremely slowly so I could look. Strange it was, the fact that these places were built, not by children, but by grown-ups. And it was somehow very clear; these objects were not something you would find inside the local art-gallery...
The fascination about folk art, outsider sculpture, self-taught art or whatever you would like to call it, still remains. It´s a complex love. Sometimes I just find it inspiring, beautiful and fascinating. Sometimes it is scary and repulsing.
So. Let´s deal with the amazing and scary... Artist Calvin Black was a folk artist who built the "Bird Cage Theater" where his life-sized dolls performed. The dolls are carved and painted by the artist while his wife Ruby Ross created many of the costumes. She also took care of the theater until her death in 1980.
Possum Trot: The Life and Work of Calvin Black, 1903-1972
2010/05/03
