JIM KOPP, USA

I’ve been creating as a self-taught artist for 20 years. I really had no desire to ever pick up a paintbrush. Music was my passion. But when my mother passed away, I began painting as a sort of subconscious therapy. Another catalyst was seeing the work of American folk artist Howard Finster. Aesthetically, though, I consider African-American folk artist William Hawkins my primary influence. You can also find echoes of Western medieval art, with its highly stylized flat perspective, strange interpretations of animals, and overall darkness. Folk art galleries see me as part of their genre. A curator once called me an “outsider artist.” When we finally met, Howard Finster told me: “Keep painting and don’t worry about what other people think of your art.” I’ve held onto that sage advice ever since.