Texas - Outsider and Self Taught Art

A framed vintage oil on tin ex-voto retablo Arcangel San Miguel, Spanish Colonial Mexican religious folk art. Primitive hand-painted tin panel, marked Guanajuato, Mexico, dated 19??...

A framed vintage oil on tin ex-voto retablo Arcangel San Miguel, Spanish Colonial Mexican religious folk art. Primitive hand-painted tin panel, marked Guanajuato, Mexico, dated 19??, offered to Arcangel San Miguel (Archangel Michael), with hand-written inscription in lower margin. Professionally framed and matted. An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. Usually praying for a family member or close friend, with pictorial depicting that persons situation. The term ex-voto is usually restricted to Christian examples. Ex-votos are placed in a church or chapel where the worshiper seeks grace or wishes to give thanks. The destinations of pilgrimages often include shrines with the walls decorated with ex-votos. Ex-votos can take a wide variety of forms. They are not only intended for the helping figure, but also as a testimony to later visitors of the received help. As such they may include texts explaining a miracle attributed to the helper, or symbols such as a painted or modeled reproduction of a miraculously healed body part, or a directly related item such as a crutch given by a person formerly lame. There are places where a very old tradition of depositing ex-votos existed, such as Abydos in ancient Egypt. Ex-voto paintings, especially in the Latin world, there is a tradition of votive paintings, typically depicting a dangerous incident which the offeror survived. The votive paintings of Mexico...

A large rare, one-of-a-kind, Duluth Fish Decoy American folk art sculpture, depicting diving penguin, hand-carved by the late David Earl Perkins (Duluth, Minnesota, 1934-2018), featuring the original hand-painted finish with black body, white stripes over glass eyes, red beak and tucked in red legs, signed at the underside "DFD", on a lead weight. Based on lures generally used for winter spear fishing through ice holes, see below for the Duluth Fish Decoy story. - Dimensions: (approx) 3.5" High, 11" wide, 3.75" deep, 1.5 lbs - Provenance / Acquisition: A prominent Dallas, Texas estate Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, est.1983, Austin, Texas - The Duluth Fish Decoys Story: (From the DFD website and in the words of Dave & Jim Perkins) "I guess it all started when I speared my first northern pike – what a thrill.  The only thing better was to spear one lured in with a decoy I made myself. I made more decoys to spear more fish and found out I liked making decoys as much as spearing northerns.  Well, soon enough, my decoy/lunch box had more decoys than lunch. So I laid off the making and stepped up the spearing. Then when the fish tore them up and they scraped up against each other in the lunch box and they rolled around on the floor of the dark-house they weathered with an aged, charactered, antique patina.  It wasn't long before friends paid more mind to my spearing decoys than my fish stories.  Said they’d like to have some to set on the mantle – said they were folky.  So I laid off the spearing and stepped up the carving. Now I've been making DFD (Duluth Fish Decoys) spearing  decoys for longer than I want to admit – they say you’re only as old as you think you are. Being on the north side of seventy, I been making them for… let’s just say a long time.   I don’t know a web site from a stick of fire wood but the kids and grand-kids have been pestering me to get one for years. In fact, I told Jim, you make the web thing and I'll make the decoys that go on it.  But with the demand being more than I can keep up with, he's been making them right alongside of me - just like when he was a kid. Great to keep it in the family - two generations of DFD. Who'd of thunk it.   What a hoot it’s been to create something so enjoyed by others. Along the way our DFD decoys have ended up in The American Museum of Folk Art, on a limited edition print, in a governor’s mansion, in Hollywood actors' homes, in fishing decoy books, with interior designers, in art galleries, on a DVD, and now in a coffee table book devoted entirely to DFD.  What a hobby it’s been – what a blessing of God.   I hope to continue as long as my health holds out.   Lo, these many years later our DFD spearing decoys are still hand-crafted with that aged, weathered, antique patina.  As with all folk art...

A mosaic garden panel by Emile Taugourdeau dating from the third quarter of the 20th century. Taugourdeau was a self-taught folk sculptor who worked from the late 1940s through the 1...

A Mosaic garden panel by Emile Taugourdeau dating from the third quarter of the 20th century. Taugourdeau was a self-taught folk sculptor who worked from the late 1940s through the 1...

Vintage petite bent-willow chair, circa 1910s-1930s. Small Folk Art chair made from bent willow featuring original red velvet upholstered seat (seat can be reupholstered for a nominal cost). Perfect size for a small child, large doll...

Bizarre pop art painting on canvas signed Matthew Johnson, 2002.

1940s handcrafted plywood soap box derby car with original advertising on the side and the drivers name on the top "Mike" The steering works well but not sur...

Assemblage of different pieces of driftwood.

Sculpted burlap on board of a tree in winter time.

Hand-painted Folk Art Route 66 sign on plywood.

A handsome large Tramp Art crucifix of wood with brass embellishments featuring a cross mounted to a graduated box form for table display. The whole a...