Fashioned by the late French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet, the influential founder of the Art Brut movement, the image above, Noël au Sol, was captured awhile back at Acquavella Galleries on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. What follows are several more images of imaginary landscapes more recently seen in a range of settings:

American artist Jerry Gretzinger, “Jerry’s Map,” on exhibit through May 27 at the American Folk Art Museum

The late German artist Max Ernst, “The Bewildered Planet,” as seen at The Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Philadelphia-based mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar, as seen at South Philly’s Magic Gardens

Self-taught Cuban artist Luis Joaquin Rodriguez Ricardo, “The Flamboyant Tree,” as seen at GINA Gallery

Photos by Lois Stavsky

The curious characters pictured above were fashioned by the self-taught, transgender punk rocker Jayne County. What follows are several more works by largely self-taught artists that were seen in a range of settings, indoors and out.

Also by Jayne County, as seen last month at Participant on the Lower East Side

The late self-taught artist Foma Jaremtscuk, as seen at the Outsider Art Fair

Self-taught artist — and the late Keith Haring collaborator — Angel Ortiz aka LA2

NYC-based Baston714, pasted in Freeman’s Alley on Manhattan’s Lower East Side

Photo credits: 1-3 Tara Murray; 4 & 5 Lois Stavsky

The image pictured above was fashioned by the self-taught Nigerian artist Chief Z.O. Oloruntoba. What follows are several more images of faces  — some by self-taught artists and others by artists with a distinct outsider sensibility — that we recently encountered:

Self-taught artist Troy Stith, The Last Days of the Last Days, Oil on wood panel — as seen at the Outsider Art Fair

Self-taught artist Melvin Way, CL23H, Ballpoint pen on paper with Scotch tape — on exhibit in Melvin Way: The Cocaine Files Dossier at Andrew Edlin Gallery through March 25

The late Ecuadorian artist and activist Oswaldo Guayasamin — as seen at Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain

Cuban artist Juan Roberto Diago, Tarraco, Mixed media on canvas on cardboard — on exhibit in Visionary Aponte: Art & Black Freedom at NYU’s King Juan Carlos l of Spain Center through May 4

Self-taught Philippine artist Martin Honasan , Low Entropy, Acrylic and collage on canvas — as seen at Volta

Photo credits: 1, 2 & 6 Tara Murray; 3-5 Lois Stavsky

Featuring over 60 portraits representing a diverse range of styles and sensibilities, About Face continues at Fountain House Gallery through April 11. Pictured above is a self-portrait painted by Fountain House artist Greg Stanger. Several more images from the engaging exhibit follow:

Lucinda Fernandez, Untitled

Bryan Michael Greene, Lydia

Anthony Newton, Untitled

Boo Lynn Walsh, Work in Progress

Gary Peabody, Sliders

Dubblex, Self Portrait 2

Located at 702 9th Avenue at 48th Street in Manhattan, Fountain House Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 7pm and Sunday from 1 to 5pm.

Photo credits:

1 & 2 Tara Murray; 3-7 Lois Stavsky

A delightfully talented artist with a passion to “make the world a better place,” Lexy Ho-Tai creates playful and interactive works in a range of media. Her long-term project Kookerville is set in an imaginary world populated by Kookers, wildly fanciful creatures made from found and recycled materials. We met up with Lexy earlier this year during her residency as a a Van Lier Fellow at the Museum of Arts and Design on Columbus Circle.

What is your earliest art memory?

Art has always been a part of my life; I can’t remember when it wasn’t. My earliest memories are of scribbling on paper and painting in the bathroom with waterproof paint. I was three at the time.

What inspires you to create art?

I have to! It is a natural form of expression.

What are your favorite mediums?

Fabrics/textiles: soft sculpture and costumes. I also love illustration and painting.

Can you tell us something about your process of working with fabrics?

My main source of materials is the fabulous FABSCRAP. I use both my hands and a sewing machine to assemble my artwork.

Have you a formal art education?

Yes! I have a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School for Design (2016), where I was nominated for Designer of the Year.

How does your family feel about what you are doing?

My parents grew up in Hong Kong. At first they were hesitant, but now they are supportive and happy.

What do you do when you, yourself, are not creating art?

I’m often teaching others to create art. In 2015, I co-created Accessible Art, a weekly art program for disabled youth in the South Bronx,  Art gives non-verbal kids the opportunity to express themselves.

What is your favorite setting to work?

I love working outside.

Any other passions?

Biking, nature, working with kids, learning new skills…

What do you see as the role of the artist in society?

Each artist has a different role. I see art as a pathway to change.

What would you like people who see your art to walk away with?

Joy and wonder! And a sense that fashion isn’t something just to be consumed.

Are you generally satisfied with your finished project?

Generally, yes! I’m a perfectionist. And working with found materials, it is easy for me to move on to the next project.

What’s ahead?

Continuing to create things, helping people and traveling.

Good luck with it all! We love what you are doing!

Interview conducted by Bonnie Astor and edited by Lois Stavsky; photos 1 & 5 by Lois Stavsky; 2-4, courtesy of the artist

While in Athens last week, I had the opportunity to visit The Museum of Greek Children’s Art, one of three museums throughout the globe devoted exclusively to children’s art. Its collections include approximately 8,000 drawings and 3D artworks created by children, ages five to 14 years old. Collaborating with a range of institutions, professionals and researchers, it offers workshops on a range of topics with particular emphasis on diversity and acceptance of differences. What follows are several more images from the exhibit, Alone or Unique? Diversity & Racism, which focuses on people who are “different.”

Group artwork, age 12 / M.G.C.A collaboration with the United Nations

Manodimou Maria, M.G.C.A. collaboration  with the Center for People with Special Needs, Municipality of Zografou, Athens, Greece.

Tilemachos Boukas, age 11

Images courtesy of the The Museum of Greek Children’s Art

Born n Kiev in 1976, Zoya Cherkassky immigrated with her family to Israel at age 15. Currently on view at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem is the gifted artist’s first solo exhibit, Pravda, reflecting on her personal experiences and the collective experience of the over one million Russians who have immigrated to Israel. Pictured above is Eat Shit and Die, 2016, rendered with oil on linen. What follows are several more largely sardonic images — all meticulously rendered in Zoya Cherkassky’s folksy aesthetic.

The Chemical Warfare, 2016, Oil on linen

Passover in Bat Yam, 2016, Oil on linen — where the prohibited foods are sought!

The Rabbi’s Deliquium, 2016, Oil on linen — another commentary on the lack of religiosity among so many Russian immigrants, as the Rabbi checks to see if this kitchen is Kosher and discovers a pig’s snout in the fridge

The Circumcision of Uncle Yasha, 2013

Featuring 50 paintings and 50 works on paper — accompanied by a comprehensive trilingual catalogue in Hebrew, English, and Russian — Pravda remains on view through October, 2018 at the Israel Museum at Derech Ruppin in Jerusalem.

Photos of images by Lois Stavsky

Painted by self-taught Italian artist Guido Vedovato, the image featured above, Rooster and Pumpkins, remains on view at GINA Gallery in Tel Aviv through March 16, 2018.

What follows are several more recently-encountered paintings in this second part of our ongoing series, Imaginary Landscapes:

Self-taught late French artist Robert Delaunay, Air, Iron and Water, as seen at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Self-taught Israel-based artist Avraham Kan, “A Familiar Melody,” as seen at GINA Gallery in Tel Aviv

Palestinian artist Iyad Sabbah, “Jerusalem,” as seen at the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem

Self-taught Cuban artist Luis Joaquin Rodriguez Ricardo, “The Three Palm Trees,” as seen at GINA Gallery 

Photos of images by Lois Stavsky

Pictured above is “Toilet Inside You,” painted on wood by self-taught Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel, that I came upon while visiting Castle Fitzjohns Gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in early December. Several more images of curious characters — fashioned largely by self-taught artists — that I saw in a range of places follow:

UK-based self-taught artist Fanakapan. as seen late fall in Fat Free Gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side

Self-taught Cuban artist Alejandro Lazo, aka Alazo, as seen at the Cuban Art Space in Chelsea, Manhattan

Tel Aviv-based Lithuanian artist Leo Ray, as seen in under a thousand in Florentin, Tel Aviv

The legendary Keith Haring in the lobby of the Woodhull Medical Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn 

Photos by Lois Stavsky