Naive & Outsider

The first one-person exhibition mounted in 1951 by gallery director Donald Vogel was of the memory paintings of Clara McDonald Williamson, known affectionately as "Aunt Clara". In her late 60's, Aunt Clara started painting her childhood memories of life on the Texas frontier, eventually becoming the best known folk painter of Texas.

In the early 1960's, Valley House introduced the paintings of Velox Ward, another talented naïve artist recording his memories of turn of the century rural east Texas. Ten years later, the gallery started to patron a young outsider artist named Valton Tyler, who is now receiving international recognition.

Valley House recently introduced two artists whose work falls under this interesting genre. In 1997, the gallery gave outsider Teri Fitzpatrick her first one-person show. Her watercolors start with no specific subject or theme in mind and slowly evolve into highly detailed imaginary landscapes. In July of 2000, the gallery introduced naïve painter Scooter Orsburn, an Arkansas painter recording memories of his rural upbringing.

The gallery has always taken a special interest in the more sophisticated side of naive and outsider painting and will continue to seek out, and call attention to, exceptional naturally gifted artists.