They Taught Themselves A Celebration of Outsider Artists from Pittsburgh
Curated by P.J. McArdle
Most artists receive formal training or a fine arts degree. The ones that don’t, the renegades who forge a different path, are known as Outsider Artists.
Rudy “the Blade” Bellisarrio
Born and lived in the South Oakland area of Pittsburgh. His attention to detail and skills as a wood sculptor is very evident in his pieces. Including a large-scale set of chess pieces.
J.J. Burns
Living in the South Oakland area of Pittsburgh, J.J. was a scavenger and would find his inspiration and materials all around. On the exterior of his home, he painted people’s faces from top to bottom. A mosaic mural of his still exists on Ophelia St. in Oakland.
Jory Albright
Jory Albright was an Altoona folk artist known for his real and fictional characterizations of historical figures. He often exhibited at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and Altoona Railroader’s Memorial Museum and was a member of Art in Common.
R.G. Maxwell
R.G. Maxwell is a self-taught visual artist, performance artist, and poet based in Natrona Heights of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is especially known for his paper collages featuring fragments of photocopied imagery that he would print at his local post office. He began creating art in the 1980s when he started staying home to take care of his parents. In 1992, his work was exhibited for the first time at the Turmoil Room in Pittsburgh.
Robert Wright
Born the seventh son of a seventh son, Robert Wright was deeply influenced by his Roman Catholic faith and local Pittsburgh neighborhoods. His paintings often highlight the South Side Pittsburgh slopes, religious motifs, faces, and birds. He was a self-taught artist who exhibited at a few local Pittsburgh galleries and the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Wright never finished high school and eventually worked as a landscaper and a janitor at a daycare center. His mother, Catherine, fostered his artistic interests and he eventually found success with his work at a social service agency in Oakland
Andy Flanigan
Living over the span of three centuries, a fact he liked to boast, Andy Flanigan worked for the Pittsburgh Railways, later Port Authority, for 46 years. He first began teaching himself to paint in the 1970s and would continue for the rest of his life, becoming famous in the town of
Brentwood where he lived. He was affectionately known as “Pap” to his many friends and family, a name that would spur the pun, “Pap Art,” in response to the Pop Art movement. He did not have his first solo exhibition until the age of 100 when folk art collector and promoter, Pat McArdle, discovered the artist and set up an exhibition of his work at Gallery in the Square in Shadyside. McArdle also helped to get one of Flanigan’s works into the 2002 Outsider art show at the Sen. John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center.
“Butch” Quinn
A mixed media sculpture by self-taught American artist Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn (Pennsylvania, 1939-2006), dated late 20th century. This work exhibits the artist’s typical style and creative method featuring conjunction of metal, cables, sequins, vinyl tile, wooden panels, and dotted acrylic pigments to depict various abstract zoomorphic forms. The work is unsigned and is presented on a metal pedestal.
Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn didn’t begin making art until the age of 35. He began making collages and paintings with found objects, paints, markers, and other mixed media exemplary of outsider and folk art. He was born June 16, 1939 in Oil City, PA. He is entirely untrained and his works
combine elements of fantasy, religion and common life. Today, his works can be found in the collection of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City, the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Clarion University of Pennsylvania Museum, and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.
Paul Warhol
As the oldest brother of Andy Warhol, Paul was a lifelong lover of art and an entrepreneur. It was not until the passing of Andy that Paul took up painting. Carrying on with Andy’s techniques, Paul created many silkscreens of advertising images, such as his Absolut Vodka ad and Heinz Baked Beans cans. However, Warhola is best known for his ‘Chicken Feet’ paintings
Inez Hess
Born in Argentina, Maria Inez Hess was based in Pittsburgh and ran with a crowd of self-taught artists including John Graves, Kathleen Ferri, Robert Wright, and others. Referred to as the “suburban Grandma Moses”, she has exhibited her work at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, among other venues.
John Graves
John Graves is a self-taught Pittsburgh artist whose work has been featured in the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and on the cover of the Western Pennsylvania History Magazine. He is especially known for his scenes painted from windows of the senior citizen building in which he resides, and his mural painted on the walls of the same residence. These scenes often feature views of the river and the steel mills along the banks.
Kathleen Ferri
Kathleen Ferri didn’t start painting until later in life, around age 58. She is particularly known for her lively folk art scenes often depicting local neighborhoods and landmarks of Pittsburgh, the Monongahela, and Turtle Creek valleys. While her interpretations may not be completely factual, she explains that her works are nostalgic expressions of her memories of the 1930s and ’40s. Many of her works have been sold as prints as she is hesitant to sell her original paintings.
Peter B. Russo
He used the cardboard interiors of Cornflake cereal boxes as his canvas. He painted portraits from photographs of the subjects he found in the TV Guides and Maryknoll Missionary Magazines. He did not consider himself an artist and only thought of his work as a hobby. He was a “tender hermit” and an authentic “outsider”.
Zinguilli Weaver
A farmer from Centre County, PA. He kept his art to himself. His family discovered his paintings in a box in a drawer after his death.
K. C. William Truschel
The wildest of the wild. He was an unknown, self-taught painter from Bradford Woods, near Pittsburgh. He painted from 1962-1967, and his work was never shown during his lifetime. His paintings often displayed themes of Man’s shortcomings. His work was exhibited at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in 2002.
Chuck Barr
Aside from being an artist, Chuck Barr was a jazz flutist and saxophone player, who had been creating art since the 1960s. He is especially known for his multi-media sculptures made from found objects. Regarded by the Post-Gazette as Pittsburgh’s “rambling minstrel” for his jazz performances, he also taught art at Penn Circle Alternative High School and Point Park Children’s School. Barr recently passed away in Pittsburgh on August 11, 2019, after a successful bypass heart surgery. Only recently has his work been viewed by the larger public; March of 2018 was his first gallery show held at the Irma Freeman Center of Imagination in Pittsburgh. Fitting to Barr’s personality and legacy, the last painting he sold at
this show was titled Go Baby You’re Free
Frank Jagodzinski
Frank lived his entire life in the small frame house that he was born in. He performed ‘magic’ in his youth, going by the name of “The Great Jadoi”. He was the operator of a ferry boat that crossed the Allegheny River. Later having a successful career as a used car salesman. Frank started painting when he was in his 70’s. His work was included in an exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
Rudy “The Blade” Bellisario
From the South Oakland area of Pittsburgh, his attention to details and skills as a wood sculptor are very evident in his work. These included a large scale set of chess pieces.
Peter B. Russo
He used the cardboard interiors of Cornflake cereal boxes as his canvas. Peter painted portraits from photographs of the subjects he found in the TV Guides and Maryknoll Missionary Magazines. He did not consider himself an artist and only thought of his work as a hobby. He was a “tender hermit” and an authentic “outsider”.
K.C. William Truschel
The wildest of the wild. He was an unknown, self-taught painter from Bradford Woods, near Pittsburgh. He painted from 1962-1967, and his work was never shown during his lifetime. His paintings often displayed themes of Man’s shortcomings. His work was exhibited at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in 2002.
Zinguilli Weaver
A farmer from Centre County, PA. He kept his art to himself. His family discovered his paintings in a box in a drawer after his death.
1. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn……$8,800
2. John Graves………………………….$1,100
3. John Graves………………………….$600
4. John Graves………………………….$1,100
5. K.C. William Truschel………………..$3,400
6. K.C. William Truschel………………..$3,400
7. K.C. William Truschel………………..$3,600
8. K.C. William Truschel………………..$3,600
9. K.C. William Truschel………………..$3,000
10. Andy Flanigan……………………….$1,100
11. Andy Flanigan……………………….$1,100
12. Andy Flanigan……………………….$1,000
13. Andy Flanigan……………………….$1,000
14. Andy Flanigan……………………….$1,000
15. Rudy “The Blade” Bellissario………$900
16. Rudy “The Blade” Bellissario………$900
17. Rudy “The Blade” Bellissario………$900
18. Rudy “The Blade” Bellissario………$1,300
19. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn… .... $3,900
20. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…… $3,900
21. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…… $3,900
22. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…… $2,400
23. R.G. Maxwell………………………... $2,800
24. R.G. Maxwell………………………....$2,100
25. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…… .$3,300
26. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…… .$4,200
27. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…… $4,200
28. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn………$4,200
29. Frank Jagodzinski…………………...$2,900
30. Jory Albright………………………...$1,600
31. Jory Albright………………………...$1,600
32. Chuck Barr………………………….. $950
33. Chuck Barr………………………….. $950
34. Paul Warhola……………………….. $11,000
35. Robert Wright……………………… $1,250
36. Zinguili Weaver……………………. $1,200
37. Zinguili Weaver……………………. $1,200
38. R.G. Maxwell………………………. $1,400
39. Inez Hess…………………………… $900
40. Inez Hess…………………………… $1,400
41. Paul Warhola………………………. $3,900
42. Jory Albright………………………. $2,300
43. DeVon Smith……………………… $2,000
44. Paul Warhola……………………… $1,400
45. Paul Warhola……………………… $5,200
46. Kathleen Ferri…………………….. $1,600
47. Kathleen Ferri……………………. $2,300
48. J.J. Burns………………………… $1,200
49. J.J. Burns………………………… $275
50. J.J. Burns………………………… $275
51 J.J. Burns………………………… $275
52. J.J. Burns………………………… $275
53. J.J. Burns………………………… $275
54. J.J. Burns………………………… $275
55. Anonymous……………………… $775
56. R.G. Maxwell…………………… $1,400
57. R.G. Maxwell…………………… $1,000
58. R.G. Maxwell…………………… $1,000
59. R.G. Maxwell…………………… $1,000
60. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…..$950
61. R.G. Maxwell……………………...$1,000
62. J.J. Burns……………………….....$775
63. Steve Smith…………………….....$775
64. Robert Wright………………….....$280
65. Robert Wright………………….....$280
66. Robert Wright………………….....$280
67. Robert Wright………………….....$300
68. Robert Wright………………….....$800
69. Robert Wright………………….....$300
70. R.G. Maxwell…………………......$1,000
71. Frank Jagodzinski………………...$1,350
72. Robert Wright………………….....$300
73. Robert Wright………………….....$300
74. Robert Wright………………….....$800
75. Robert Wright………………….....$250
76. Robert Wright………………….....$300
77. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…..$3,100
78. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn…..$5,200
79. Robert Wright………………….....$975
80. Robert Wright………………….....$975
81. Inez Hess………………………....$975
82. Peter Russo……………………....$475
83. Paul Warhola………………….....$1,400
84. Paul Warhola………………….....$3,900
85. Tom Drogue…………………......$1,400
86. Frank Jagdozinski…………….....$975
87. John Graves…………………......$1,000
88. Robert Wright…………………...$975
89. Robert Wright…………………...$9,600
90. Paul Warhola………………….....$2,800
91. Paul Warhola…………………....$2,800
92. Robert Wright…………………..$390
93. Robert Wright…………………..$390
94. Robert Wright…………………..$390
95. Robert Wright…………………..$390
96. Robert Wright…………… ..... $390
97. Robert Wright…………………..$390
98. Robert Wright…………………..$390
99. Robert Wright…………………..$390
100. Robert Wright…………………$390
101. Robert Wright…………………$390
102. Robert Wright…………………$390
103. Robert Wright…………………$390
104. Robert Wright…………………$390
105. Robert Wright…………………$390
106. Robert Wright…………………$390
107. Robert Wright…………………$390
108. Robert Wright…………………$390
109. Robert Wright…………………$390
110. Robert Wright…………………$390
111. Robert Wright…………………$450
112. Robert Wright…………………..$450
113. Robert Wright…………………..$450
114. Robert Wright…………………..$450
115. Robert Wright…………………..$450
116. Robert Wright…………………..$775
117. Robert Wright…………………..$775
118. Robert Wright…………………..$1,300
119. Robert Wright…………………..$450
120. Robert Wright…………………..$450
121. Robert Wright…………………..$450
122. Robert Wright…………………..$450
123. Robert Wright…………………..$450
124. Robert Wright…………………..$775
125. Robert Wright…………………..$775
126. Robert Wright…………………..$450
127. Robert Wright…………………..$1,600
128. Robert Wright…………………..$1,000
129. Robert Wright…………………..$1,000
130. Robert Wright…………………..$1,000
131. Robert Wright…………………..$1,000
132. Robert Wright…………………..$1,000
133. Robert Wright…………………..$1900
134. Robert Wright…………………..$390
135. Robert Wright…………………..$390
136. Robert Wright…………………..$390
137. Robert Wright…………………..$390
138. Robert Wright…………………..$390
139. Robert Wright…………………..$390
140. Robert Wright…………………..$390
141. Robert Wright…………………..$390
142. Robert Wright…………………..$390
143. Robert Wright…………………..$390
144. Robert Wright…………………..$390
145. Robert Wright…………………..$390
146. Robert Wright…………………..$390
147. Robert Wright…………………..$390
148. Robert Wright…………………..$390
149. Robert Wright…………………..$390
150. Robert Wright…………………..$390
151. Robert Wright…………………..$390
152. Robert Wright…………………..$1,300
153. Norman Scott “Butch” Quinn….$1,600
154. Inez Hess………………………..$950
155. Jory Albright…………………...$950
156. Chuck Barr……………………...$775
157. Jory Albright…………………...$950
Located in store-
Prints by Kathleen Ferri and Andy Flanigan
Framed - $475 Unframed - $350