FINDING NORTH

FindinG N orth 

OUTSIDER ART FAIR: NEW YORK 

JANUARY 17-20, 2019

STEVEN S. POWERS 

Finding North 

The subtitle to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Ecce Homo is “How One 

Becomes What One Is.” Considering Nietzsche’s directive, our title, 

“Finding North” is a metaphor for finding one’s path in life—one’s 

truth. Since no two of us are ever in the same position, our ways of 

finding north will always be different. Yes, some routes will be 

similar, but most will be vastly different. Some seeking north will 

walk paths straight and narrow, others loose and wide, while a few 

will plot hilly, twisty, and remarkably odd routes, but north 

nonetheless. A smooth, well-marked path is not necessarily the 

surest way north—finding oneself off course, momentarily lost may 

actually be more direct—so far as to regain the route northward. 

Some, on the other hand, ditch north altogether and head west or 

are off the grid entirely. 

The known artists herein walked, hiked, climbed (and probably 

tripped a few times) towards their truth. The others, we have no 

idea, because they are unknown or we don’t know enough about 

them or the lives they lead. But, all of them left something 

wondrous behind that helps us understand or consider them in a 

small or large way and in many cases, their wondrous works aid in 

our journey—we use their works to assist us in finding our north. 

The Outsider Art Fair: New York 

January 17-20, 2019. 

Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011 

Show information: outsiderartfair.com 

W O R K S O F 

A R T 

& americana 

109 3rd Place #2, Brooklyn, NY 11231 | 718.625.1715 or 917.518.0809 | stevenspowers.com | member: ADA

Time’s Up! (detail) 

Nineteen vintage alarm clocks 

Circa: 1930-1950s 

Size: range from: 4" (d) - 7" (w)

Miroslav Tichy´: 

ETCHINGS 

Although Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011) was primarily 

known as a street photographer, he had a remarkable hand 

for drawing. 

Tichý practiced drawing from nude models at The 

Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague, however after the 

Soviet takeover in 1948, such practices became 

prohibited, and he was forced to draw from clothed 

models—he refused and was eventually expelled. Seeking 

a less politically oppressive environment, Tichý moved 

back to his provincial hometown of Kyjov, 

Czechoslovakia. 

Kyjov was a small, quiet town and not a hotbed of artistic 

or political activity, however, Tichý was labeled a political 

dissident and was routinely jailed or put into a mental 

health institution (Tichý had bouts of psychosis since his 

teenage years). 

Tichý’s drawing and painting style of the 1970s became 

charged with a quick staccato of lines versus the long 

flowing “fashion” lines of his previous work. His subjects 

(usually female) and style became more candid and 

natural like his street photography and not idealized. 

As a generality, Tichý’s almost exclusive study of the 

female form can be traced back as a reaction to the 

prohibition days at the academy.

Also during this period, Tichý began experimenting with monotype etchings. 

As with his tools for photography, his materials for engravings were 

improvised from recycled scraps of metal, plastic or wood. Tichý’s neighbor 

and come-biographer Roman Buxbaum, observed, “After scratching out the 

drawing he applied paint with the palm of his hand and then, applying 

pressure with a spoon, transferred it to paper.” The blurred lines and ink 

smears from this imperfect process resulted in etchings, not unlike his 

photographs, filled with a hazy and mysterious atmosphere. 

His wanderings around town, camera in hand were voyeuristic by default, 

not design. He was not known to be lewd or perverted. Tichý states, “Women 

are just a motif for me. The figure - standing, bending or sitting. The 

movement, walking. Nothing else interests me.” 

What is fascinating and commendable in Tichý’s print and photographic 

work is that he used mediums ideally suited for mechanical reproduction, 

multiple editions, however, so far as we know, Tichý only printed from his 

photographic negatives and print plates just once—all unique works. 

In the 2000s Buxbaum convinced Tichý that his work should be shown and 

organized an exhibit of his photography for the 2004 Biennial of 

Contemporary Art in Seville, Spain. Since then Tichý’s work has been 

recognized worldwide and has had major retrospectives at the Kunsthaus in 

Zurich in 2005, the Pompidou Centre in 2008, and the International Center of 

Photography, New York in 2010. His work is now part of most major 

institutional and private collections. 

(r) Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011) 

Untitled [Woman with Apple] 

Monotype etching 

Circa: 1970s (n.d.) 

Size: 11 3/4" (w) x 16 1/2" (h)

(r) Miro 

Untitled [W 

Siz 

(l) Miroslav Tichý (192 

Untitled [Woman Sitting 



Size: 9 1/2" (w) x 15 3/

6-2011) 

] 

4" (h) 

slav Tichý (1926-2011) 

oman Trying on Shoes] 



e: 9" (w) x 15 1/4" (h)

Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011) 

Untitled [An Artist in Her Studio] 



Size: 11" (w) x 16" (h)


Untitled [Woman Turned Right - Maroon] 



Size: 7 1/4" (w) x 13 1/2" (h) 

Miroslav Tichý (1 

Untitled [Woman B 


Circa: 1970s (n.d 

Size: 6 1/4" (w) x

926-2011) 

ackside - Bikini] 

) 

13" (h) 


Untitled [Woman Turned Left - Indigo] 



Size: 5 3/4" (w) x 11 1/4" (h)


Untitled [Woman Turned Right] 



Size: 6 1/2" (w) x 10" (h) 

Miroslav Tichý (19 

Untitled [Woman B 



Size: 6" (w) x 8 1/

26-2011) 

ackside - Naked] 

2" (h) 


Untitled [Woman Turned Left] 



Size: 6 1/2" (w) x 8 1/2" (h)


Untitled [Woman in a White Tank-Top] 

Unique gelatin silver print on Tichý mat 

Circa: 1960-1980 (n.d.) 

Size: 5" (w) x 6 3/4" (h)


Untitled [Magenta Nude] 

Watercolor and ink on paper 


Size: 17" (w) x 12" (h)


Untitled [Portrait of a Woman] 

Oil on paper 


Size: 16" (w) x 22" (h)

Bare Naked Beach Bingo 

Sixteen handmade erotic “Barbie” figures 

Low fired ceramic and glazes 

Circa: early-mid 1960s 

Size range from: 4" (h) - 11 1/2" (h) 

Provenance: Marvill Collection 

Literature: American Vernacular, pps. 160-161 

Exhibted: Museum of Sex, Known/Unknown, 2017

Frederick Hastings (1919-2013) 

A Group of Five Figures 

Steel, air-dried clay, paint, cardboard, cotton, lead and masking tape 

Circa: 1960-80 

Sizes range from: 2 1/2" - 7 1/4" (oah) 

The works of Frederick Hastings were discovered a few years ago, and 

much of the details of his life and work remains a mystery. The two 

larger figures are made from steel armatures under air dried clay, and 

the smaller three are steel armatures under painted lead. 

What is known is that he lived outside of Philadelphia, was an architect 

and may have had family money. It is also known that he was into 

trains and built elaborate sets. 

The figures are very well made, with steel armatures or skeletons and 

then carefully modeled with some air-dried clay or modeling putty. 

Most have applied paper bikinis, and several have wigs of cotton or 

wool. Most of the figures come with hand-made boxes, custom fit to 

accommodate the size and posture of each. 

At first glance, the figures appear hermaphroditic or trans-gendered. 

However, none have genitals—just muscular bodies with breasts. And 

though a significant effort is put into modeling and composing the 

figures, there appears to be no attempt to idealize or beautify the 

faces—which are often quite severe and grotesque. 

During the same period in which Forrest Bess was exploring sexuality 

through hermaphroditism, Hastings was engaged in exploring the 

boundaries of masculinity and femininity.

Many Mons Pubis 

Photographic process on an uncut sheet of paper stamps 

Circa: 1930 

Size: 12 1/2" (w) x 8 1/2" (h) 

This is quite a remarkable and mysterious work of art. 

Many “artist unknown” artworks have kept me up at 

night, and this is no exception. 

The work shows the pubic area of thirty-six different 

women (one shaven). Possibly purposely ambiguous, at 

first glance the subjects may look like trees, upturned 

umbrellas, or even tornadoes. (“Hell hath no fury...”)? 

The halftone printing enables us to see the subject 

clearly at arm’s length, but as we move closer, we do not 

see more detail, we see less—the dots of the printing 

process decrease the detail and makes it more 

abstract— thus the labels under each subject 

(presumably the model’s name) become increasingly 

unclear. 

Process-wise it appears that each subject was 

photographed, printed, labeled, framed and then shot 

again—then possibly a composite of the whole was 

photographed and then printed onto the sheet of 

stamps. 

Regardless of the artist’s identification, objectively the 

work is a tour-de-force in concept and execution and 

recalls motifs of the Dada and Fluxes movements. 

Though it has nothing to do with the work herein, 

coincidentally, the British photographer, Alisa Connan 

created a similar work, entitled “Project Bush” in 2013.

A Rare Pewter Mounted Enamel Snuffbox 

in the Form of Female Genitalia. 

Circa 1780-1800. 

Size: 3 3/8" L x 1 5/8" W x 1 1/4" H. 

An overt twist on the traditional enamel or 

cowry shell pewter or silver mounted snuff 

box. 

A few years ago, I had a similar example 

with glazed pubic hair—“unshaven” it is 

slightly more abstract and looks like a 

Hindu yoni graphic—which, of course 

represents the vulva. 

Literature: A related example is illustrated 

in, ART OF THE LIMOGES BOX, p. 40.

Time’s Up! 

Nineteen vintage alarm clocks 

Circa: 1930-1950s 

Size: range from: 4" (d) - 7" (w) 

Provenance: John & Teenuh Foster Collection

These alarm clocks were found in a room within an abandoned house 

in Wisconsin. Individually, they are cool, but not important—as a 

collection they make a strong conceptual and mysterious statement. 

Exhibitions: James Madison University, Duke Gallery and New Image 

Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA, 2015; and The Mitchell Museum, Mount 

Vernon, IL, 2017.

Forrest Bess (1911 – 1977) 

Untitled [Three Figures] 

Oil on canvas 

Circa: 1946 

Size: 16" (w) x 14" (h) 

Provenance: Kirk Hopper Fine Art, Parrasch Heijnen Gallery. 

In 1946 Forrest Bess found himself as a painter. Although Bess had 

produced works in the 1930s, it was not until 1946 that Bess, at the 

urging of his psychiatrist, began to record the colorful visions that were 

troubling him. The visions were likely brought on from the trauma he 

suffered from being beaten by a fellow Army mate as a consequence of 

his homosexuality. In this year, Bess produced a wide range of work 

from representational, abstract and symbolic paintings. About this 

period, Bess expressed to his dealer, Betty Parsons, “Only by painting 

the goddamned thing out have all my symptoms of anxiety 

disappeared.” It was these works that got him through his PTSD and 

on his way to the visionary painter he would become. 

Bess’s paintings were an integral part of his being which was heavily 

influenced by Carl Jung’s thoughts on symbolism, Australian aboriginal 

initiation rites and the belief that the hermaphrodite was “the desired 

and intended state of man.” His commitment to this philosophy 

culminated in the self-surgery on his genitals in the late 1950s. 

Among the works created in 1946 are three related figural works. The 

painting herein, one from the esteemed Harry Burkhart Collection, and 

another in a private collection. 

The three works were likely produced in quick succession, one after

“All my life I have been an 

outsider looking at beauty” 

— Forrest Bess to Betty Parsons

the other. They each have groups of solidly painted figures that define 

the space and foreboding environments. The moody works are 

punctuated with blocks of primary and secondary colors—they are 

surely direct responses to the colorful visions and trauma that Bess had 

discussed with his therapist. 

In the untitled work herein, two figures have cornered a third—it feels 

like an act of violence is about to occur. The reddish figure appears 

defensive and raises his left arm to push away the two blue beings 

closing in on him. Though flatly rendered the figures have a keen sense 

of form and movement. 

Though Bess would become widely known for his visionary works and 

show at the Betty Parsons Gallery alongside Mark Rothko and Jackson 

Pollock, it was through the figural works of 1946 that allowed Bess to 

free himself and explore his symbolic work. 

Forrest Bess was the subject of a retrospective at the Hammer Museum 

in 2013/2014 and was featured in the 2012 Whitney Biennial. His work 

is part of numerous museum and private collections, including the 

Menil Collection, Houston, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 

Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Whitney Museum of American 

Art in New York. 

Several of Bess’ works are part of the exhibit "Outliers and American 

Vanguard" organized by The National Gallery, and currently at the Los 

Angeles County Museum of Art.

“ONLY BY PAINTING THE 

goddamned thing out have 

all my symptoms of anxiety 

disappeared.” 

— Forrest Bess to Betty Parsons 

Photo of Bess from, 

"His Name Was Forrest 

Bess" by Michael Ennis, 

Texas Monthly, June 1982 

Undated photo of Bess at his 

house/studio in Chinquapin, 

Texas.

Drawings and Letters from 

The Kansas State Insane 

Asylum at Osawatomie

This important cache of eleven drawings and writings by MW Demorest, an inmate at the 

Kansas State Insane Asylum in the 1890s provides rare documentation by an actual inmate 

of an early American mental institution. 

At this time, not much is known about MW Demorest. According to a local newspaper, 

Demorest of Ottawa, Kansas, was institutionalized shortly after setting off a rash of fires in 

November 1889. His mother Catherine died at the age of ninety in 1909 and owned a fair 

amount of land. He had several siblings, and these drawings and writings were intended for 

them. Two of the pages are dated 1892, and we assume the others date to around that period. 

The drawings are on ruled and unruled paper—some on scraps. The writings on the reverse 

are densely written and without punctuation—reading them is fairly tricky. Several of them 

look like numerological charts and have statements like, “there R 3,586,483 letters in the 

Bible,” and much of the copy is about praising God. However, Demorest gives us some 

insight into his condition. He does not trust his caretakers and writes, “I have no chance to 

send anything out of this institution...the superintendent...he reads every letter [and] if there 

is anything in it they do not like, they do not send it [and] therefore we have to be careful 

what we say.” 

He repeatedly writes that he has “dreams and visions,” mostly regarding an idea he has of 

building a boat. “I see a great boat flashed on the wall, as though it was thrown there by a 

great magic lantern...I am sure I could make that 

boat and that it would get over the water as fast as 

any train will move on land” 

In another he writes, “...and God caused me to 

fall into a deep sleep and caused me to see a 

wonderful vision of a large boat and a man’s hand 

on a center large lever which caused the paddler 

to rush from one end of the boat to the other like 

they were run by electricity.” He twice states that 

he should, “go to Washington and get a patent on 

that boat.” 

It is not known how long Demorest was 

institutionalized, but he expressed, “I often think, 

I would like to know when I will be free, but 

that is what I do not know - last spring, I felt in 

hopes, I would be free in time to put a boat on 

the river.” 

above: detail of drawing on right with light 

shining from behind.

(previous page) 

MW Demorest 

Garden of Eden 

Kansas Insane Asylum 

Circa: April 30, 1892 

Size: 9 3/4" (h) x 7 3/4" 

(w) 

(r) MW Demorest 

Sleeping Beauty with Winged 

Angel and Rainbow 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 8" (h) x 5" (w)

On this and the p 

Demorest uses a n 

drawing the wom 

eyes, as if sleepin 

when a light is sh 

behind, the eyes “ 

“awakens.” It is b 

somewhat, unexp 

above: detail of draw 

light shining from be 

MW Demorest 

Sleeping Beauty an 

Kansas Insane Asy 

Circa: 1892 

Size: 8 1/2" (h) x

ing on left with 

hind. 

revious drawing, 

ovel device of 

n with closed 

g. However, 

own from 

open” and she 

oth clever and 

ectedly creepy. 

d Boy in Boat 

lum 

5 3/8" (w) 

MW Demorest 

“Let Him Fly” 


Circa: March 22, 1892 

Size: 11" (h) x 8 1/2" (w)

MW Demorest 

Birds of a Feather 

Mixed media on paper 

Circa: 1892 

Size: 8 1/2" (h) x 11" (w)

MW Demorest 

Portraits of a Man and Woman 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 8 1/2" (h) x 11" (w) 

These next three drawings feature 

portraits—possibly of family 

members. 

It is interesting to point out that the 

woman to the right in these three 

portraits are the same woman, 

drawn identically—and on the 

following two, the woman on the 

left is the same, drawn identically.

MW Demorest 

Portraits of Two Women 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 8" (h) x 9 7/8" (w)

MW Demorest 

Portraits of Three Women 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 8 1/2" (h) x 11" (w) 

On all three portraits, Demorest pays 

particular attention to the details of 

the clothing—as if he is drawing each 

thread. 

The woman of the left here is holding 

an open Bible and Demorest writes 

phrases in tiny script.

This image shows the back of one of the sets of 

portraits—all three are like this. 

On the left, Demorest codifies various chapers, 

verses, and lines of the Bible. 

He writes “Verses I have found to B[e] H[elpful]” 

and systematically breaks down different books, 

like Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Samuel, etc... 

On the back of another, he writes numerological 

statements, e.g. “there R 3,586,483 letters in the 

Bible; 779,693 words; 31,373 verses...the word 

Lord is 7,773...the word King is 2,000.” 

On the right side of this example, he addresses 

his sister Reana. Within the ruled paper, 

Demorest squeezes in two lines of text within one 

ruled space—and does not use punctuation!

“I am held here like Joseph... 

[and] I would often get some 

discouraged, but when I read 

about Daniel being cast in the 

lion’s den and Joseph being cast 

in prison 14 years, I feel I ought 

to be willing to try and stand it 2 

years longer.” 

—MW Demorest, 

Kansas State Insane Asylum 

MW Demorest 

Daniel in the Lion’s Den 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 7 3/4" (h) x 9 3/4" (w)

MW Demorest 

Baby Jesus on Striped Book (with detail le 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 8 1/2" (h) x 10 1/2" (w)

ft) 

MW Demorest 

Winged Angel with Rainbow 


Circa: 1892 

Size: 6" (h) x 5 3/8" (w)

Ida Jones (1874-1959) 

Mock Orange [Philadelphus] 

Oil on canvas board 

Circa: July, 1952 

Size: 20" (w) x 16" (h) 

Mockorange, (Philadelphus), is a shrub with a citrus scent and has 

white blossoms that bloom in the late spring to early summer. A 

portion of this painting can be seen in the upper left corner of the 

photo herein— Jones in her living room/studio. 

Ida Jones, the daughter of a former slave, had ten children and at the 

age of seventy-two began painting. Self-taught, her work focuses on 

local (Chester County, PA) landscapes, still-lifes and Biblical stories 

The Chester County Historical 

Society held a retrospective exhibit 

in 1995 and Jones was recently 

included in “We Speak: Black 

Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s- 

1970s, ” 2015. 

Literature: Starting Anew After 

Seventy: The Story of Ida Ella 

Jones, Primitive Artist, by Ida J. 

Williams, 1980. 

To Everything a Season: The Art 

and Life of Ida Jones, by Sheppard 

and Townsend, 1995. 

Photo of Jones at the easel in her living room. A 

portion of this painting is shown in the upper left 

corner. Photo circa 1955.

Dilmus Hall (1900-1987) 

Lamb 

Concrete, rebar, paint 

Circa: 1970’s 

Size: 18" (l) x 10" (w) x 13 1/4" (h) 

Provenance: Barbara Archer Gallery; Larry Dumont Collection 

As a child Hall would fashion small sculptures made from flour 

mixed with tree sap. Discouraged by his father, he didn’t pursue art 

until later in life. 

After serving in WWI as a stretcher bearer, he returned to Georgia 

and worked as a hotel bell captain, a sorority house busboy and then 

as a fabricator of concrete blocks for a construction company. It was 

here that Hall found himself 

again—working with his hands. 

He began making concrete 

sculpture around his home. His 

sculpture combined a mix of 

Christianity with an African 

conjuring culture that empowered 

objects with protective powers. 

Later he would make little 

tableaus with wood and putty that 

recall the modeling technique he 

developed as a child. 

Still image from the documentary, The 

Mind's Eye, with Hall at his home, circa 

1987.

Photo of Joseph Garlock, 

circa 1944, in front of his 

store, Bloomfiled, NJ 

Joseph Garlock 

immigrated from Russia 

to New York in 1904. 

After a bunch of odd 

jobs, Garlock and his 

wife settled in 

Bloomfield, NJ as the 

owners of a small fruits 

and vegetable store. In 

1948 he retired, and at 

sixty-four years, he 

found himself itching 

for something creative 

to do with his time. 

For the next several years, Garlock painted 

and sculpted somewhat compulsively. He 

painted at home and a while visiting his 

daughter Rose at her cabin in Woodstock, NY. 

Garlock's subjects ranged widely family 

portraits, local landscapes, pop culture, and 

religious ceremonies. He was inspired by 

images he saw in Life and Look magazines 

and created paintings based on photographs 

from these references. 

In his late 70s, Garlock developed palsy and 

sadly had to give up his brushes. He died in 

1980 at the age of 96. 

Joseph Garlock ( 

Oil on can 

27 3/4" (h) x 17 5/ 

The roadway here is 

original section of the G 

Parkway which beg 

County NJ, next d 

County (whe 

Note, how Garlock ro 

horizon as if the road w

1884-1980) 

Parkway 

vas on glass 

Circa: 1950 

8" (w) sight 

possibly the 

arden State 

an in Union 

oor to Essex 

re he lived). 

unds off the 

raps around 

the earth.

92.5% 

In the mid-1990s a cache of Garlock's work 

was found in a woodshed at his recently 

deceased daughters Woodstock property. 

James Cox, a local gallery owner, was called 

and immediately recognized the importance 

of the find and catalogued the work. 

Since then Garlock’s has been widely 

exhibited and collected. 

Exhibitions: “Joseph Garlock Paintings and 

Sculpture,” The Cecille R. Hunt Gallery, 

Webster University, St. Louis, MO, 2003. 

"Old World, New Country: The Art of Joseph 

Garlock," The Center for Intuitive and 

Outsider Art, Chicago, IL, 2005.

Joseph Garlock (1884-1980) 

Woman with Roses 

Oil on canvas 

Circa: 1958 

Size: 23 1/2" (h) x 27 5/8" (w) sight 

Possibly a portrait or a tribute to his daughter Rose, who 

encouraged him to retire from his grocery store and paint. Rose 

had a cabin in Woodstock, NY—where this cache of works was 

discovered.

92.5% 


Fish Bowl 

Gouache on paper 

Circa: 1956 

Size: 12" (h) x 11" (w) sight 

Garlock discovered Modern Art through Life 

magazine. The inspiration here might have been 

one of Matisse’s several goldfish paintings— 

which Matisse said “brought a soothing, calming 

influence on the mind”


Four Monkeys in a Wood 

Gouache on paper 

Circa: 1955 

Size: 18" (h) x 20" (w) sight 

Exhibited: "Old World, New Country: The Art of Joseph Garlock," 

The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Chicago, IL, 2005.

Anonymous 

Memory Painting of Kiva 

Oil on plywood with taped labels 

Circa: 1950-1960s 

Size: 35" (w) x 18" (h) 

A massive wave of Latvian immigrants came to the United States after 

World War II. Having Suffered through Soviet and Nazi occupations, 

hundreds of thousands fled and spent years in European refugee camps 

before some of them immigrated to the United States in the early 1950s. 

The work calls to mind the paintings of George Morgan, who composed 

memory paintings from a bird's-eye's perspective. Intuitively we use this 

aerial device as a method of recall.

George Morgan (1870-1969) 

Ice Houses 

Dated: January 1963 

Oil on canvas board 

Size: 16" (h) x 20" (w) 

Provenance: Anne K. Wardwell, Farmingdale, ME; Mr. & Mrs. Sumner and 

Helen Johnston, CT; Joe Wetherell, North Salem, NY; Raymond Saroff and 

Howard Rose, New York, NY; Peter Brams, Jackson Heights, NY 

Exhibitions: The Playhouse, Boothbay, ME 1963Farnsworth Art Museum, 

Rockland, ME, “George E. Morgan: Self Taught Painter of Maine” July 16 - 

October 11, 1998; The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Chicago, IL, 

“George E. Morgan: Maine Streets” February 5 - April 10, 1999. 

Illustrated and discussed in: UNEXPECTED ELOQUENCE, 1990. 

From the 1820s to the end of the century, the Kennebec River was part of 

a flourishing ice trade. In the 

winters, ice from the river was 

cut into blocks, packed in 

sawdust, stored in warehouses, 

and shipped all over 

the world (as far as India). 

Because of its purity, ice from 

the Kennebec was known 

worldwide as “Kennebec 

Diamonds.” 

Early postcard illustrating the Randolph Ice House & Mill.

A self-taught paint 

CT, Rackliffe prim 

Acadia region of M 

Rackliffe’s works a 

collections of the B 

Britain Museum o 

Museum of Art; an 

Museum. 

Howard Rackliffe 

Autumn Storm 

Acrylic on homaso 

Circa: 1970s 

Size: 48" (h) x 28" 

A large and power 

that mixes elemen 

movement, compo 

unexpected color. 

Rackliffe’s work w 

centennial retrosp 

Museum of Ameri

(1917–1987) 

te panel 

(w) 

ful work by Rackliffe 

ts of abstraction, clarity, 

sure and balance of 

er from New Britain, 

arily painted in the 

aine. 

as the focus of a 

ective at the New Britain 

can Art in 2017. 

re represented in the 

arnes Foundation; New 

American Art; Portland 

d The Farnsworth

Texas is My Home 

Illustrations of Family, 

Farm, and Daily Life. 

Family Gathering At Our Texas Farm / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)

My Texas Schoolhouse / graphite on paper / 1936 / 11 3/4" (h) x 7 5/8" (w)

Mary And Daniel In The Fields Of Bluebonnets / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w) 

This unsigned, but dated group of folk art drawings, completed over a few 

weeks in July and August 1936, capture the quaint insight into the world of 

an unknown artist. 

The unknown, but proudly Texan artist illustrates a family gathering, the 

interior, and exterior of a small home, church, school, farm life and a couple 

in a field of bluebonnets. The renderings are drafted with a good sense of 

composition, perspective, and handling of the graphite.

(top) My Sunday Texas Church / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 1/2" (h) x 11 3/4" (w) 

(bottom) View rom Our Texas Farm / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)

(top) Texas Is My Home / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7" (h) x 11 3/4" (w) 

(bottom) Our Texas Farm / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)

(top) Our Texas Home / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w) 

(bottom) Texas Is My Home / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)

Our Texas Farm / graphite on paper / 1936 / 7 5/8" (h) x 11 3/4" (w)

(left) River Brazos / graphite on paper / 1936 / 11 3/4" (h) x 7 5/8" (w) 

(right) Road To Our House / graphite on paper / 1936 / 11 3/4" (h) x 6 7/8" (w)

Sister Gertrude Morgan 

(1900-1980) 

"Book of Revelations" 

Tempera and mixed media 

on window shade 

Circa: 1965-1975 (n.d.) 

Size: 12 1/2" (w) x 3" (h) 

Provenance: The John and 

Pam Finley Collection of 

Outsider Art. 

A bold and complex doublesided 

Morgan with notations 

and illustrations from the 

Book of Revelations, 

including The Four 

Horsemen of the 

Apocalypse.

Provenance: Cavin-M 

Gallery; Ricco/Mare 

Gallery; Larry Dumo 

Collection 

The front is compos 

two families at hosp 

beds. The back, with 

large Hell Hound, is 

recent discovery fou 

while considering a 

mat board—now ref 

to show both sides. 

Sister Gertrude Mor 

(1900-1980) 

Untitled [Hospital Be 

with Hell Hound] 

Tempera, graphite o 

window shade 

Circa: 1965-1975 (n 

Size: 17" (w) x 17"

.d.) 

(h) 

gan 

ds 

n 

orris 

sca 

nt 

ed of 

ital 

a 

a 

nd 

new 

ramed

Professor Eddie Williams was born 

in India and immigrated to America 

with his family (his father was a 

minister). Trained as an electrical 

engineer, Williams however, was 

born to preach and was a pastor at 

The House of Prayer in San 

Francisco. 

He entitled himself "Professor, as 

one who divinely professes the 

Kingdom—the true form of the 

doctrine of the Kingdom of 

Heaven." 

Williams’ artwork was an extension 

of his beliefs, and said God directed 

him and divinely inspired him. The 

intent was to photocopy and 

distribute these sheets, but he 

usually got too involved in making 

them that he rarely had the time to 

reproduce them as intended. Each 

page was created from cut up 

magazines, newspapers and 

cardboard packaging. Each is signed 

and dated, but curiously dated 

much earlier than when they were 

created. Asked about this Williams 

explained, "that that was when they 

were inspired." 

Williams at work with boxes of scrap paper, 

cut out letters, words and images. 

Reverend Professor Eddie Williams 

(1917-1995) 

San Francisco, CA 

Cut up paper collage 

Circa: 1980s 

Size: 14" (h) x 8 1/2" (w)

Reverend Pro 

Reverend Professor E 

(1917-1995) 



Circa: 1980s 

Size: 14" (h) x 8 1/2 

Size

ddie Williams 

" (w) 

fessor Eddie Williams 

(1917-1995) 



Circa: 1980s 

14" (h) x 8 1/2" (w)

Eight is Enough 

Iowa 

Concrete and polychrome 

Circa: 1920-1930 

Size: range from 4 1/4" (h) - 7 1/4" (h) 

A family of eight concrete dolls. 

Found as a group in Iowa, these 

“dolls” are unique and mysterious. 

Sensational surfaces.

Willian (Bill) Anhang was born in Poland in 1931 and immigrated to 

Canada with his family in 1939 to escape the Nazi occupation. As a 

young man, Anhang trained as an engineer and worked in 

telecommunications. In 1975, A Guru spoke to him and said he must 

become an artist. Since then Anhang’s has devoted himself to bring 

“new light to the planet.” 

The enamel works seen here are among Anhang’s earliest works. They 

are small-scale abstractions—many with suggestions of another world 

or grand universe. They have undeniable energy. Well composed, not 

too busy and with intense, saturated color. 

Anhang later incorporated real light into his work—paintings 

illuminated by hundreds if not thousands of blinking and 

programmed LEDs and fiber optics. 

These early enamel works may be 

seen as his acoustic period, like 

Dylan before Newport, and then he 

plugged in, went electric, and never 

really went back. 

Anhang’s work was recently 

exhibited at American Folk Art 

Museum in the exhibit, When the 

Curtain Never Comes Down, 2015. 

The Canadian Broadcasting 

Corporation (CBC) produced a 20 

minute documentary on Anhang, 

Billsville, and is available on 

Youtube. 

Photo of William (Bill) Anhang in his studio.

William Anhang (1931-) 

Untitled [Character on Blue] 

Enamel on copper 

Circa: 1979 

Size: 7 1/8" (w) x 6 1/2" (h)

(top) William Anhang (1931-) 

Untitled [Planets in Orbit] 


Circa: 1978 

Size: 6" (w) x 4" (h) 

(l) William Anhang (1931-) 

Untitled [Circular Orbit] 


Circa: 1979 

Size: 3 1/2" (w) x 4 1/8" (h)


Untitled [Planets Aligned] 


Circa: 1978 

Size: 4" (w) x 5" (h)

(r) William A 

Untitled [W 

Enam 

Size: 6 3/4 


Untitled [Pieces of a Puzzle] 


Circa: 1979 

Size: 14 3/4" (w) x 6" (h)

nhang (1931-) 

inged Boots] 

el on copper 

Circa: 1979 

" (w) x 4" (h)

James Harry McClintick (1872-1951) 

The House of Pix 

4800-5000 Toothpicks 

Circa: September-October 1937 

Size: Folk 11" Art (l) Leg x 8" Trays (w) x 4" (h) 

France 

Chaucer Wood, papier-mâché, said “idle hands textile, are the devil's gold leaf, tools,” 

so metal, McClintock paper, “while polychrome an invalid with the use of 

right 

Circa: 

hand 

1920’s 

and thumb of left,” took to building 

this remarkable house property made almost 

Size: 24" (w) x 24" (h) each 

entirely of toothpicks. The detail within the scale 

is remarkable!! 

Worn around the waist by topless 

McClintock performers was or a waitresses millworker at at a the burlesque West show. 

Virginia pulp and paper company.

STEVEN S. POWERS 

W O R K S O F 

A R T 

& americana 

109 3rd Place #2, Brooklyn, NY 11231 | 718.625.1715 or 917.518.0809 

stevenspowers.com | member: ADA 

FindinG N orth 

OUTSIDER ART FAIR: NEW YORK 

JANUARY 17-20, 2019

FINDING NORTH

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