Daniel Farber, self-taught photographer

His business was leather, but his love was photography. On his gravestone are the words "Nature is my God" and his camera is carved over the shoulder of his marker, as if resting there a moment. Daniel Farber's works are in the permanent collection of 123 museums world wide, and he had numerous one man shows. Although he was self-taught, his "Reflections" show received rave reviews at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, as did his "Early American Gravestones" show at the AMFA and at Yale. When the Boston Aquarium opened, his stunning slides of reflections in water were mounted in their entry and his unforgettable macro images of flowers grace the walls of the Decorative and Fine Art division of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He was published in American Heritage, Popular Photography, Modern Photography, and Country Beautiful magazines, as well as on many classical record album covers. He was a prodigious photographer whose work is still widely collected. More than 1,400 dye transfer color prints, 34,000 gelatin silver prints, and 14,000 negatives produced by him are in the collections of U.S. museums and institutions. He was also one hell of a gardener, and one of my favorite uncles! Vintage images and his book, "Reflections of a Trail Taken" are available through this gallery.

Modern Masters, Travis Tuck and Tony Holand

My dear friend Travis Tuck started making weathervanes when Stephen Spielgberg showed up in Martha's Vineyard in 1974 and needed metal work to be done for his movie "Jaws". A spectacular and completely free hand shark weathervane was produced by Travis and it was placed on the fishing shack in the film. It was so coveted that it was stolen and had to be reconstructed twice! Travis's vanes became internationally famous and the waiting list for a piece to be constructed edged up on two years. Travis was named a Modern Master (he was considered the finest weathervane maker in the world) and was featured in a TV documentary film. Eventually Tony Holand came to apprentice with Travis, and together they continued to create masterful pieces until Travis's death due to a cancer that he valiantly fought for years.
For my vane, I suggested an Indian archer, but with the decorations of a Jingle Dancer added to the usual elements. When Tony delivered it to me, after Travis's death, it was covered with extra touches of gold leaf.....a gift to me for the long wait. The vane was installed in a space that had been waiting for it and it can be seen in it's finished state by clicking on the title of this posting. Here are photos from the process of it's creation.

Welcome to my world........

I'm a private dealer in Outsider and Artbrut Art and have over 400 images and supporting text on-line. The actual gallery is in Woodbridge, CT and is open by appointment or by chance. The pieces I have chosen to represent are top examples from each of my artists, all of whom have been placed in private as well as museum collections. During the year I deal mainly with works on paper, canvas and board, but in June I hold the annual Sculpture in the Garden show which transforms the property into a dazzling display of recycled metal, stone, and wood, reformed into giant sunflowers, dancers, musicians, horses, robots, dragonflies and garden whimsies. The gallery has been awarded as a Forbes Magazine "Best of the Web", and "Incredible Art Site of the Week" for months running!
Welcome to my world!

Outsider Artist, Maurice Hansen, Jr.

Maurice Hansen was discovered by my friend and fellow dealer, Chris Butler. Recognizing a major talent, she immediately arranged for a one man show of his paintings at the prestigious Aetna Gallery in Hartford, CT. Hansen's canvases are loaded to the edges with all kinds of biblical symbolism, as well as reflections of the daily news. They are masterful works, held in many private collections as well as museums. 

Luis Manuel Serrano, Romantic Mexican Assemblages

Luis Manuel Serrano's exotic collages and constructions come from his love of making 8 mm and 16 mm films. Each scene is set for a story complete with a script. According to Teresa del Conde, who is the Director of the Modern Art Museum in Mexico City, " He does this in a mode reminiscent of Joseph Cornell. This he achieves by making his collages tridimensional. His assemblages may represent stagings set during the first few decades of the 20th century. They describe a fondness for certain things. They are rather moving and deeply nostalgic. He saves seemingly unconnected objects from oblivion. In Luis Mauel's work there are crystalized tears, which are actually small vials, and even tears of blood; there are pins used to hold up feminine coiffures that hold a certain aggressiveness. A Boticelli Venus' hair becomes real while Don Gabriel Figuera's clouds become steel shavings."
The museum has a beautiful illustrated catalogue of Serrano's works , which are included in many public as well as private collections. I am including his "A Night in the Opera", but you can see many more works from private collections, as well as works for sale on his blog. Mexico has given us a great gift. This is a man worth watching. His website is:
http://lmserranodiaz.blogspot.com