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Missionary Mary Proctor's message is "Swim On. Be Encourage(d)"
I met Missionary Mary Proctor, visionary artist, at the Folk Art Festival in Atlanta last year. Like many Visionary artists, she shares a clear message through her life and art. She freely spoke about her art and the powerful message behind it. “God gives me the message and I paint it. I paint on anything I can find. Paper, wood, tin. I’ve been through adversity. While grieving for her beloved grandmother and other close relatives who died in a house fire in 1995, the Lord told Mary to “paint the door” and that she did! She is a warm, engaging person who is truly living to do “God’s Work” through her art.
I bought a fish cut out of a piece of tin and painted. On it, she painted the words “Keep Swimming.” “Life is tough and you’re gonna experience hardships and setbacks. But just keep on swimming. Swim through those times. It gets better.”
We like the word Visionary, because we feel the artists we work with know where they are going, even if we may not understand it. They are not lacking for ideas or a message. These are people who have a compulsion to make art, sometimes without knowing why, and often after a life-changing experience. They just start creating. (from Artistic Spirit Gallery website)
Outsider Art, Folk Art, Visionary Art. Whatever you call it, it’s art produced by folks with a big vision and little or no formal art training. It’s spontaneous art without boundaries or constraint. It’s at once fun and whimsical and scary or utterly shocking. Always real and delightful for its truth.
See (and purchase) Mike Schramer's art at Artistic Spirit Gallery
Enjoy an afternoon browsing the variety of Visionary Art at Artistic Spirit Gallery located at 10 Storehouse Row, Navy Yard at Noisette, Charleston, Call (843) 579-0149 or (317) 694-6085 with questions.
But a warning: You’ll want to break out the paints after your visit and start creating your own visionary art!
photos: imagehost and Artistic Spirit Gallery
