Outsider Art - Is It A Birthright?

Outsider art reminds us that creativity is a birthright, not a career path.

The images below echo the spirit of outsider artists such as Adolf Wölfli, Judith Scott, and Howard Finster. They are illustrative rather than attributable, and sourced from free-to-use image libraries. 

(by Annabel, Membership Secretary, FLAG) 

Coined by artist Jean Dubuffet in the 1940s, art brut literally means “raw art.” It described work made by people in asylums, prisons, or complete obscurity; people who probably didn’t even know they were making “art” at all. They were just doing it. Creating something, anything, almost compulsively, obsessively. Sometimes with bottle caps. Sometimes with human hair. Sometimes with a thousand biro pens and a dream, or gluing matchsticks to a life-size papier-mâché giraffe in a garden shed in Norfolk. In other words: outsider art in its purest form. 

In a world where everything is curated, filtered, and optimised for engagement, outsider art is gloriously resistant to polish. It’s the antidote to art speak and the enemy of cool. It’s where sincerity still lives, sometimes in the form of an intricately carved wooden toaster that doubles as a shrine to a lost cat. And frankly, that’s beautiful.

Because maybe art doesn’t need to be clever. Or commercially viable. Or made in a Hackney studio with exposed brick and oat milk flat whites on tap. Maybe it just needs to be.

There’s something else, too, outsider art doesn’t ask for permission. It doesn’t wait for validation, or a degree show, or a panel of tutors with clipboards and careful language. It emerges fully formed from the need to make, not the need to be seen, and that feels increasingly rare.

I sometimes think my daughter, who has a wonderful Fine Art degree, may have struggled with her tutors because, although none of us saw it at the time, what she was making might have been outsider art. Someone who carefully collects their own eyelashes and eyebrows, then uses them to create a tiny, painstaking self-portrait, well that’s not just creative, it’s deeply personal. There was such quiet intensity in it, such focus, and not the faintest concern for whether it fit into anyone else’s idea of what art should be. Looking back, it makes perfect sense.

Giving people a title for what they do helps define them to others. Apparently, outsider art is now the height of fashion. Museums are mounting major exhibitions, and I believe collectors are shelling out serious money. Auction houses are whispering reverently over cracked canvases painted by people who didn’t even know what acrylics were. The once-marginalised is now curated, institutionalised, and Instagrammed.

 

 

And that’s where it gets a bit murky.

Is it still outsider art when it’s hanging next to a David Hockney? Is it still rebellious, or couldn’t-care-less when it’s being endorsed by the very establishment it once sat outside of? Can something be both raw and reframed, instinctive and institutionalised? I’m not entirely sure. It feels a bit like trying to bottle something that was never meant to be contained.

Here are a few outsider artists, if you’re curious:

• Henry Darger – Chicago janitor by day, creator of a 15,000-page fantasy epic by night. His world: part Victorian fairytale, part fever dream, part “should we be worried?”
• Judith Scott – Deaf, with Down syndrome, and institutionalised for decades, she made intricate cocoon-like sculptures from yarn and found objects.
• Madge Gill – A spiritualist who produced thousands of drawings, often guided (she claimed) by a spirit named Myrninerest. As you do.
• Howard Finster – A Baptist preacher who built his own garden museum filled with visions of Elvis, God, and aliens. Pretty standard, really.

Outsider art is what happens when you remove the polite conversation and gallery lighting from creativity. It’s what’s left when nobody is watching or when nobody is expected to.

And maybe that’s the point. Not everything needs to belong. Some things just need to exist. I'm off to do that which I can't stop doing and which no one will see!

 

(All images courtesy of copyright free platforms:  Unsplash, Pexels, Wiki Commons

2026 Trips (reminder)

 Don't forget to book your place if you're interested in any of our trips. 

 

In Bloom at the Ashmolean

With thanks to Carolyn Gifford, Flag Member, for this post and it's photos.

In Bloom at the Ashmolean 

 

Visit the Ashmolean website here 

How plants changed our world 19th March to 16th August 2026 

 

What do we really know about the plants and flowers in our gardens and window boxes?

Beyond their beauty, many have hidden histories – tales of exploration, obsession, and knowledge.

This major new exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.

Featuring over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings, rare prints, and ceramics, In Bloom explores our changing relationship with the natural world.

From the fascinating stories of curiosity and ingenuity of early plant explorers to the networks that shaped global trade, this exhibition reveals how the pursuit of exotic plants transformed landscapes, economies, and cultures, leaving a legacy that still shapes our world today.

 

About the FLAG visit on 22nd April 2026

 

In Bloom covered both botany and beauty, as any number of astonishing plants were discovered in new lands across the world. 

 

Once discovered, they needed to be recorded in precise detail in giant volumes, and to be classified. There are striking portraits of Tradescants (Older and Younger), Linnaeus and others, bringing their achievements to life. 

 

The exhibition also looks at how plants have changed us, most notably opium from the poppy, which you could also smell along with roses, but also rubber, which was used to make jewellery in Victorian times. There were a number of oversized plants in bell jars, used in botanical teaching, alongside more recent drawings and paintings. 

 

It also emphasises the influence of commerce, not just in the famous Tulip Mania of Holland, but in the hunt for rarer species that can displace whole communities. One very delicate and pretty plant is actually made from dollar bills and at least one £50 note.

John Tradescant the Elder, by Emanuel de Critz

 

 

Plant model for botany students

 

 

Poppy seed head in watercolour and pencil by Brigid Edwards 1999

 

 

Pollinator Pathmaker, a tapestry by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, 2025

 

Cross Pollination by Justine Smith (2023-4), with flowers made from US dollars and a £50 note

 

 

Ceridwen Williams

 

Continuing our posts about the wonderful artists we have in FLAG, Ceridwen has kindly shared some of her work with us. It’s a real pleasure to be able to show a small glimpse into her practice here.

"Having attended Bradford College of Art in the 1970s and exploring a wide variety of techniques, Ceridwen has now returned to her artistic roots of printmaking, drawing and dabbling with paint. Her work comprises a variety of subjects and is designed for people of all ages to enjoy.”

There’s a lovely sense of returning to something familiar in Ceridwen’s work, while still leaving room for experimentation and play. Moving between print, drawing and paint, her pieces reflect a wide-ranging curiosity and an enjoyment of process as much as outcome.

We’re very grateful to Ceridwen for sharing her work with us, and hope you enjoy these images as much as we do.

The Open 2026 Visitors' Choice Award

FLAG were delighted to present artist Verity Clark with her £500 Visitors' Choice Award. This award is funded solely by Flag members.

Verity's picture, Ophelia, is soft pastels on paper and is a portrait of her daughter. It's one of a small series on a similar theme, based on Millais' Ophelia. (Ophelia is a character in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. She is driven mad when her father, Polonius, is murdered by her lover, Hamlet. She dies while still very young, suffering from grief and madness. The events shown in Millais's Ophelia are not actually seen on stage).

The water shown in the picture is of a small stream running through their farm - it has Cranford Mill just a little upstream. 

Verity often makes her own costumes but the one depicted is a vintage Laura Ashley in dark green, chosen to contrast with the yellows in the water.  

 

Ophelia by Verity Clark, reproduced here with her kind permission

Just out! The FLAG excursions list for 2026!

 Our Excursions for 2026 

All excursions leave from Newbold Comyn with a pick up in Newbold Terrace, opposite the Spa Centre, about 5 minutes later.  Please bring relevant membership cards as we are required to show them.  Without them entrance fees will be charged.

Please familiarise yourself with the Information Sheet on the FLAG website before submitting your booking.

We are only giving details of our day and a brief introduction to the venues as they all have their own websites which you can consult to get more detailed information.

Please note: If you are interested in joining us on any trips, please contact the Secretary to find out if there are any spaces first. 

 

GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL and MISERDEN GARDENS, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

 

WEDNESDAY 20  MAY – DEPART 8.30 am

 

Straight to Gloucester Cathedral where we will have time to purchase a drink in the Monk's Kitchen before we have a Highlights Tour of the Cathedral (included in the price).  We shall be divided into two groups, starting the tours at 11.00am and 11.15am.  This last approx. 1 hour.  Time then for lunch either in the Monk's Kitchen or venture out to one of the nearby cafes. Gloucester Cathedral is one of Britain's greatest buildings with spectacular architecture, royal connections, medieval Cloister and dazzling examples of stained glass from across the ages.  Famous recently, of course, for television and film appearances which we are bound to hear about on the tour!

We shall leave at 1.45pm to travel to Miserden Gardens which will be a open for us to spend a leisurely afternoon wandering round the gardens.  This lovely walled garden overlooks a deer park and the rolling Cotswold hills of the Golden Valley beyond.  Designed in the 17^th century with a topiary yew walk and quaint grass steps designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens as well as magnificent mixed borders.  Other features are a 200 year old sycamore tree, an ancient mulberry tree planted in 1620, a rill with fountain and stone summer house.  The house is not open to the public.  Tea and cake can be purchased from the Little Ginger cafe in the gardens who promise homemade cake and scones will be available!

Leaving at 5.00 pm.

 

 KNEBWORTH HOUSE, GARDENS & PARK,  HERTFORDSHIRE

 

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE – DEPART 8.30am

 

As Knebworth is a longer journey we will have a coffee stop at Newport Pagnell, no, not the services but in the historic market town.  We then continue to Knebworth House with its 28 acres of formal gardens including a maze, colourful borders and fine trees.  Sir Edwin Lutyens had a hand in these gardens as well as he married into the family!  

We are visiting on a closed day so lunch, which is included in the price, is from a limited choice of

Tomato soup and ham salad sandwich or Tomato soup and cheese ploughman's sandwich with complimentary coffee/tea.

After lunch we will have a tour of the house which lasts about 1 hour.  Knebworth House has been home to the Lytton family for over 19 generations.  Stories and heirlooms reflect the family's contribution to literature, politics and foreign service.  Visits from people as diverse as Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth I have also added to Knebworth's rich heritage.

We can then perhaps enjoy more of the garden and tea and cake which is included in the price.

 

Leaving at 5.00pm.

 

 

WEOBLEY and BURTON COURT, EARDISLAND, HEREFORDSHIRE

 

TUESDAY 14 JULY – DEPART 8.30am

 

Straight to Weobley to arrive about 10.30am and in time to purchase morning refreshments.  Weobley is part of the Hereford Black and White Trail and has several Tudor black and white houses. There is a town trail that can be downloaded from https://www.weobley.org/visiting.html

Parts of the recent film Hamnet were shot in Weobley.  There is also a Heritage Trail with plaques.

On the edge of the village SS Peter and Paul church has its origins in Norman times and has been added to and rebuilt over the centuries.  The bell-tower was added in the mid 14^th century (the second tallest in the county) and is set at an angle and thought to have doubled up as a fortified peel tower against Welsh raids.  

Lunch can be purchased in the village before we travel to Burton Court where we have a tour lasting approx. 1 hour.  We can then wander in the garden and have a cream scone tea (included in the price).

 

“Architecturally Burton Court is varied with influences ranging from Norman Medieval, Regency, Victorian and Edwardian periods.  The Norman influence is noticeable in parts of the cellars and also on a large archaeological dig in the grounds that has been going on here since 2000.  We have since amassed the largest medieval pottery collection in the county.  We are still waiting to prove if we have the remains of an earlier castle settlement.

The centrepiece of the house is the spectacular 14^th Century Great Hall; a remarkable survivor of medieval architecture that dates back to 1330.  The Great Hall was used as a Court of Law for centuries, hence Burton Court.  Oddly enough the court rolls in the 17^th century state that people were held to court for not doing enough archery practice!”

 

The last major alteration to the eastern facade of the building was carried out by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis of Portmeirion fame.  The gardens were reconstructed in 2005, with the help of the garden designer Simon Dorrell, to take them back to their Arts and Crafts hey day.

 

Leaving at 4.30pm  

 

  

KIMBOLTEN CASTLE and BUCKDEN TOWER,  CAMBRIDGESHIRE

 

TUESDAY 4 AUGUST – DEPART 8.30 am

 

Travelling straight to Kimbolton Castle where we will have coffee/tea/biscuits followed by a tour lasting about 1.5 hours.  The earliest known castle was Norman, rebuilt in Tudor times and largely rebuilt from 1690-1720 when Vanburgh and Hawksmoor were involved as was John Adam who later designed the gatehouse.  There are large wall paintings by Pelligrini (1675-1741) on the main staircase, in newly built rooms in the 1700s and the chapel.

Katherine of Aragon was sent to Kimbolton Castle in May 1534 and died here in January 1536.  Her body was carried in procession to Peterborough Abbey (now Cathedral) for burial.

 

We stay for lunch of sandwiches, savouries, mini cakes and infused water and then travel on to Buckden Towers when we can have a tour lasting 1 hour or choose a talk.  Buckden Palace was built by the Bishop of Lincoln as it then lay on the Great North Road and was used by successive bishops for several centuries.  Construction of the Tower itself was completed by Bishop Rotherham in 1480.  Katherine of Aragon was confined here by Henry VIII in 1533-34 when she was then moved to Kimbolton Castle.  The property is owned by Claretian Missionaries who use it as a retreat.  We can then take tea and cake and stroll round the gardens.

There is the church of St. Hugh of Lincoln nearby which has notable windows.

 

All refreshments (coffee, lunch and tea) are included in the price.

 

Leaving at 4.30pm

 

 

…....................................................................................................................................................................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unveiled: The Rugby Art Collection in Full (plus cake)

Art first, obviously. But also bun assessment is non-negotiable. Rugby Art Gallery and Museum has a fine cafe, and the quiche is highly recommended! 

 

(With thanks to Rugby Art Gallery for permission to take photos of the exhibition. There won't be images of individual paintings, because of copyright issues. Explanation: general shots of gallery spaces are fine, as long as they weren’t taken with professional equipment and don’t focus in on a single artwork. This is because a high resolution, straight sided images can be reproduced for commercial purposes.).

A Town That Collected A Nation

 By FLAG Membership Secretary, Annabel.

Unveiled: The Rugby Art Collection in Full brings together eight decades of collecting into a single, unfolding story. Not of blockbuster purchases, but of belief.

What emerges is a portrait of Britain in flux, its industries, identities, and anxieties, shaped by curators willing to take risks and a town that chose to invest in culture. It feels less like a collection on display, and more like a history lived through art!

The pieces acquired are grouped into decades from the 1940 to current day. 

1940s: A Vision in Wartime 

Rationing, rebuilding, and somehow still finding a bit of budget for art, priorities quietly in the right place.

 The collection begins with quiet ambition. In the aftermath of war, Rugby invested in contemporary art, modestly, but deliberately.

Guided by Eric Newton, early works focused on everyday life rather than grand narratives. Factories, streets, and interiors captured a nation rebuilding.

It’s a starting point rooted in realism and optimism: art as witness, and as a gesture toward the future. 

The wall text says: "The next chapter isn't about adding more works - it's about adding more voices". 

 

1950s: Modernism & Reconstruction

Britain patches itself back together, puts the kettle on, and cautiously experiments with something a bit more modern.

 As Britain rebuilt, art shifted. The 1950s saw a move from realism toward experimentation and abstraction.

Rugby followed suit, acquiring bold, exploratory works, often before their makers were widely recognised.

This is where the collection finds its confidence, stepping beyond documentation into active engagement with modernism.

 

1960s: The Art of Expansion

Things get louder, brighter, and more confident, even if the economy is occasionally having a lie down.

Energy and ambition define the 1960s. Under Joanna Drew, the collection embraced Pop, Op, and abstraction.

Influenced by media, design, and science, acquisitions became more vibrant and intellectually driven.

Despite limited funds, Rugby secured major voices, proof that vision can outweigh budget.

 

1970s: A Change in Tempo

Strikes, power cuts, and a general sense of “it’s complicated"; no wonder the art gets more emotional. Your author still stores candles just in case the electricity gets cut again.

 The 1970s turn inward. Amid economic and social upheaval, the focus shifts to the human condition.

Monika Kinley championed figurative work that was raw, emotional, and personal. The result is a more intimate collection; less about movements, more about lived experience.

 

 1980s: Psychological Depths & The Warwick Years

Big ideas, smaller budgets. When funding disappears, creativity tends to find a workaround. Margaret Thatcher's assertion that "There is no such thing as public money; there is only taxpayers' money".

The early 80s deepen this introspection, exploring memory, identity, and inner worlds.

Mid-decade there were funding cuts which halted collecting and the collection moved to the University of Warwick.

Rather than fading, it evolved; preserved, studied, and recontextualised for the future.

  

1990s: Care and Consolidation

A quieter decade: less spending, more looking after what’s already there; very sensible, probably very British.

 The 1990s are quieter, focused on care rather than growth.

With fewer acquisitions, attention turned to conservation, research, and education. Community projects kept the collection connected to its roots.

Its reputation grew as a coherent record of British art, sustained through stewardship.

 

2000s: Coming Home

A fresh start, a new building, and a sense that things might just be on the up again.

In 2000, the collection returned to Rugby. A new gallery brought renewed energy and collecting resumed.

The scope expanded beyond painting to include installation, video, and conceptual work. This is a moment of renewal: confident, outward-looking, and ready to evolve.

 

 

 

2010s: Art in Place

Budgets tighten, but conversations widen - who’s included, who’s missing, and who gets the wall space.

The 2010s focus on representation and connection.

Artists were commissioned to engage directly with the town, while acquisitions addressed identity, heritage, and visibility.

The collection becomes more self-aware, not just reflecting history but reshaping it. Visitors to Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum might recognize the work at the top middle of the image below!

 

2020s: Resilience & Representation

A slightly chaotic start to the decade, what with pandemics, political upheaval, and the news rarely improving with a second look, but plenty of determination to carry on. In uncertain times, art proves quietly dependable: still asking questions, still making sense of things, and still there when everything else feels a bit up in the air.

The decade begins with disruption. During COVID-19, art became a way to process isolation and change.

Today, the focus is on inclusion, collaboration, and diverse voices. The collection feels active and responsive, less a record of the past, more part of an ongoing conversation.

 

Final Thoughts

Rugby’s collection stands out not for scale, but for intent. Built steadily over time, it reflects a belief that art belongs everywhere.

Seen together, these works form something more than a collection, they're a living history of a place, and the people within it.

I loved it and was thrilled to be able to see a whole collection in one go. I recommend both it and the cafe!