Howard Finster

Howard Finster was a famous preacher and artist. Finster had two visions in his lifetime that inspired him to become an artist. As a child, Howard Finster had the first vision. In this vision his dead sister appeared in white robe walking down from heaven. Finster was certain that God was telling him to one day become a visionary artist. During his teen years, Finster spent his days preaching the gospel in many churches. He worked in mills before doing carpentry and repair work on lawn mowers and bicycles. In the 1970's the second vision appeared. Howard was repairing a bicycle and he used his finger to dab some paint on the metal. When he looked at his fingertip, he saw a human face. To Finster this was the second message from God commanding him to make sacred art. In the last twenty-five years of his life until his death, Finster created Paradise Garden, at his home in Summerville, Georgia. Paradise Garden, which Finster said was commissioned from God, was a lush, modern day version of the Garden of Eden, a rendering of his visionary world. The highlight of the garden is the five-story, sixteen-sided structure he calls the World's Folk Art Church. Finster created and signed more than 50,000 pieces of original art. All of his works were part of a crusade to save the world before it was too late. He appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and his artwork was used to decorate album covers of such popular rock groups as R.E.M. and The Talking Heads. His artwork is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution and many other museums and private collections around the world.