Paradise Garden (Georgia)
History
History
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In 1961 Finster purchased four acres of land in Summerville, Georgia, and a few years later retired from his pastoral duties and devoted his time to working this land. It was always a work\-in\-progress, originally called Plant Farm Museum, but later known as Paradise Garden. Much of the land was swampy, which Finster drained himself. He laid out his collections of found objects which he had spent years accumulating. He built numerous sculptures, one made from castoff bicycle parts and another from old hubcaps. He built a structure lined inside and out with pieces of mirrors. As an extension of his preaching duties, he erected signs covered with Biblical verses or simple exhortations, such as "Yo Jesus."

In 1976, at the age of sixty\-one, Finster began a new chapter of his life. While repairing a bicycle in his workshop at Paradise Garden, Finster had another vision. A smear of white paint on his finger tip looked to him like a human face and he heard a voice command that he "paint sacred art." This he did with boundless energy until his death.

These objects, largely based in the [Bible](/wiki/Bible "Bible"), American history, and popular culture, filled Paradise Garden. Mostly painted on rough wood, they combined flat, two\-dimensional images with dense writing. Roberta Smith, a critic for the *[New York Times](/wiki/New_York_Times "New York Times")*, described Finster's work as "apocalyptic text\-image paintings, which he seemed to produce at assembly\-line rates. Their lush, extravagantly crowded surfaces form later\-day illuminated manuscripts and cover subjects that included heaven and hell, tales from the Bible and American history and popular culture." Finster's interests were seemingly endless. He painted [Jesus](/wiki/Jesus "Jesus"), [Elvis Presley](/wiki/Elvis_Presley "Elvis Presley"), winged [angels](/wiki/Angels "Angels"), [George Washington](/wiki/George_Washington "George Washington"), self\-portraits, [Marilyn Monroe](/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe "Marilyn Monroe") wearing an American flag dress, demons, [Coca\-Cola](/wiki/Coca-Cola "Coca-Cola") bottles, the *[Mona Lisa](/wiki/Mona_Lisa "Mona Lisa")*, [Mickey Mouse](/wiki/Mickey_Mouse "Mickey Mouse"), policemen, cowboys, Old Testament prophets, and other subjects in a torrent. Stylistically, they were all of a piece: singular, simple, and bold.

Interest grew over the years and in 1991 Howard and his wife, Pauline, moved from Paradise Garden in order to escape the crush of visitors. He continued to work until his death in 2001\. In the twenty\-five years after hearing a voice in his workshop he had created an astonishing 46,000 sacred objects.

After Finster's death Paradise Garden began to decay into the heat and humidity of rural Georgia. His family tried to maintain the site, with little success. The buildings' walls became water logged and decayed and their foundations crumbled. The paintings done on untreated lumber rotted. Kudzu and other vines engulfed what had been created. Finster's home and work began to sink into the rich mud of the Chattooga River valley.

Eventually, [Chattooga County](/wiki/Chattooga_County%2C_Georgia "Chattooga County, Georgia") acquired the site. In 2012 a non\-profit group, Paradise Garden Foundation, signed a fifty\-year lease with the county and took possession of Finster's property. The cost was one dollar.

The foundation's director has characterized its on\-going work as a revival, "a way to restore the spirit of the place." Structures have been reinforced. Sunken paintings and objects have been dug out of the ground, cleaned, and put on display. Other objects remain where they were originally placed, degenerating with time. Rotten lumber has been replaced. Buildings have been adapted to different uses. A brook has been dredged and now freely meanders through the site.


Who acquired the site of Paradise Garden?