Star Mountain Art

Led by the success of the B-52's and R.E.M., Athens, Georgia was the most happening music scene in the country by the mid 80's. Following several different bands from different genres, this film paints Athens as a magical artistic environment where bands are not in compitition, bout co-exist in harmony and sharethe ideals of the land. Featured are performances and insightful interviews from: the B-52's, Pylon, B-B-Que Killers, Time Toy, Jim Herbert, Flat Duo Jets, John Seawright, Rev. Howard Finster, Dreams So Real, Peter Buck, Love Tractor, Rev. John D. Ruth, Kilkenny Cats, and Squalls.This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

An evangelistic preacher in paint and self-proclaimed "man of visions," Reverend Howard Finster became one of the most widely known and prolific self-taught artists, producing over 46,000 pieces of art by his death in 2001. Finster often referred to himself as "a stranger from another world" and "God's last red light on the planet earth." He saw himself as a sacred artist, fulfilling his visionary prophesies revealed to him by God through a heavenly, outer space world. Thus Finster believed he was to disperse warnings to people to save their souls from the horrors of hell. These experiences were very real to Finster and provided a seemingly limitless variety of images for his art, and content for his rapid fire, stream-of-consciousness monologues.--This book provides an in-depth survey of Finster's career, illustrating the variety of themes inherent in his work, much of it relating to his visionary experiences, including: Visions of Other Worlds, Sermons in Paint, Historical and Cultural Heroes and The Plant Farm Museum [Paradise Garden].--Glen C. Davies is an artist, muralist, lecturer, and curator. Other contributors are Phyllis Kind, Jim Arient, and N. J. Girardot.-

Since bursting onto the folk art scene in the late 1970s with his distinct other-worldly paintings, Howard Finster has become the genre's superstar. Profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Life, and even Penthouse magazine, Finster is collected by galleries and museums worldwide, including the Smithsonian Institution. He has appeared on The Tonight Show, created covers for the rock bands R.E.M. and the Talking Heads, and counts numerous celebrities among his friends. Now approaching 85 years old, Finster and his paintings of a peculiar heaven show no signs of slowing in popularity. But no one has ever completely witnessed the early life and work of Howard Finster. No one has seen the Trion Garden, Finster's first environmental work of art. No one has seen the young man and young preacher with his family and his work in the Trion setting. No one except his family--until now. With the publication of Howard Finster: The Early Years, the artist's daughter Thelma Finster Bradshaw has created a loving memoir and tribute to her father. As a valuable addition to America's folk archives, this family album of rare photos and early work presents a private portrait of the public man who leads the national folk art movement.