The Artist - Richard M. Richardson

Richard Richardson is an artist of many mediums. His masterpiece can be found in his own back yard. It IS his own back yard. His daytime alter ego "Stove Black Richardson" makes his living restoring and converting antique wood burning stoves. He started the company in the 1970's and has become, with the help of his daughter Sara, the industry leader in antique stove restoration. You can learn more about that here at goodtimestove.com. Richard's passion lies in the landscape architecture that converts the majority of his property into a magical place. He collaborates with other artists and businesses to accomplish small projects, like installing sculptures in various places in the garden, and also large projects such as amphitheaters and waterfalls. His process is somewhat governed by the artwork itself. Typically using found objects, he sees the potential in random piece of metal or glass, and follows it to the form that he felt it deserved. The purpose that much of his art serves is that of social enjoyment. Many of the places in the garden are intended to be shared with friends, old and new. One of the best parts about visiting the garden is talking to Richard about the various stories that led to these elaborate structures. And he cooks a mean sausage sandwich. -Dave DelloRusso, artist and collaborator

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A Word About Vocabulary

A number of terms are used to describe art that is loosely understood as "outside" of official culture. Definitions of these terms vary, and there are areas of overlap between them. The editors of Raw Vision, a leading journal in the field, suggest that "Whatever views we have about the value of controversy itself, it is important to sustain creative discussion by way of an agreed vocabulary". Consequently they lament the use of "outsider artist" to refer to almost any untrained artist. "It is not enough to be untrained, clumsy or naïve. Outsider Art is virtually synonymous with Art Brut in both spirit and meaning, to that rarity of art produced by those who do not know its name."

Art brut: "raw art", 'raw' in that it has not been through the 'cooking' process: the art world of art schools, galleries, museums. Originally art by psychotic individuals who existed almost completely outside culture and society. Strictly speaking it refers only to the Collection de l'Art Brut.

Neuve Invention: Used to describe artists who, although marginal, have some interaction with mainstream culture. They may be doing art part-time for instance. The expression was coined by Dubuffet too; strictly speaking it refers only to a special part of the Collection de l'Art Brut.

Folk art: Folk art originally suggested crafts and decorative skills associated with peasant communities in Europe - though presumably it could equally apply to any indigenous culture. It has broadened to include any product of practical craftsmanship and decorative skill - everything from chain-saw animals to hub-cap buildings. A key distinction between folk and outsider art is that folk art typically embodies traditional forms and social values, where outsider art stands in some marginal relationship to society's mainstream.

Marginal art/Art singulier: Essentially the same as Neue Invention; refers to artists on the margins of the art world.

Visionary art/Intuitive art: Raw Vision Magazine's preferred general terms for outsider art. It describes them as deliberate umbrella terms. However, Visionary Art unlike other definitions here can often refer to the subject matter of the works, which includes images of a spiritual or religious nature. Intuitive art is probably the most general term available. The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland is dedicated to the collection and display of such artwork.

Naïve art: Another grey area. Untrained artists who aspire to "normal" artistic status, i.e. they have a much more conscious interaction with the mainstream art world than do outsider artists.

Visionary environments: Buildings and sculpture parks built by visionary artists - range from decorated houses, to large areas incorporating a large number of individual sculptures with a tightly associated theme. Examples include Watts Towers by Simon Rodia, Buddha Park and Sala Keoku by Bunleua Sulilat, and The Palais Ideal by Ferdinand Cheval.