The curious characters featured above were fashioned in 2018 with mixed media on paper by the wonderfully talented self-taught Virginia-based artist JJ Cromer. What follows are several more artworks created largely by self-taught artists — seen in a range of settings from galleries to art fairs.
Norwegian self-taught artist Trude Viken, “Blue Scene 5,” 2024, Oil on canvas
12-year-old, Cologne-based painter Mikail Akar, “Untitled,” Acrylic on canvas
Minnesota-based painter Alma Realm, Untitled painting (seen at this year’s Outsider Art Fair; no additional information provided)
Japanese self-taught artist Koichi Sato, “Heaven to Hell,” 2025, Colored pencil on paper
The prolific Argentina-born Neo-Expressionist artist Alejandro Caiazza, “Red Balloon,” 2024, Acrylic, collage, found objects and mixed media on canvas
Photos of images by Tara Murray and Lois Stavsky
