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Lake Elsinore, CA Jon Serl 1894-1993 Painting (oil or water-based)

Information: Jon led a fascinating life. Many members of his family were carnival performers and he acted from childhood. He was a vaudeville song and dance man at the age of 10. Fox Studios signed him under the name of Jerry Palmer, a name he frequently used. Around 1970 he moved to Lake Elsinore, California where he did most of his painting. He lived in a rambling house with an overgrown yard. We met him in 1993, a tall beautiful man who lived life on his own terms. He shared his bed with a hen and her eggs. Jon’s paintings were a work in progress: some being worked on for 20 years. There was no theme or artistic challenge that was too difficult for Jon. He painted on anything at hand, usually working on masonite or boards. His bold knowing hand created what he envisioned. Jon loved and cared for animals and people. One of his favorite people was Randall Morris, co-owner of the Cavin Morris Galley, who has always been his champion. from The Luce Center for American Art: "My paintings are not complicated, but they have a soul in them." Jon Serl, "Inside the Outsiders," Art and Antiques, Summer 1990 Jon Serl lived an isolated life in Capistrano, California, avoiding interaction with other people whenever possible. He never planned his paintings but just put down on the canvas whatever came into his head, describing each one as a "discovery" (Robert L. Pincus, "The World According to Serl," The San Diego Union, January 18, 1987). This image of three figures and two dogs was inspired by a group of young boys who were pestering the artist. To keep the children occupied, he told one of them to lie on an old piece of board. When he saw what it looked like, Serl decided it "had to live" and so painted the image onto the wood, adding colorful costumes to the figures to evoke a trio of musicians. (Phone conversation with the artist, September 21, 1989) Outsider Folk Art

	Reference / Links:
	The Zetter Collection: "Jon Serl" Cavin Morris Gallery: "Jon Serl" The Ames Gallery: "Jon Serl" Outsider Folk Art Smithsonian American Art Museum
	(Detour Art is not responsible for the content of external web sites.)

Bibliography: "Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists" by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, New York, 1990. "20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993. "Contemporary American Folk Art - A Collector's Guide" Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, 1996. "Flying Free: Twentieth-Century Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Ellin and Baron Gordon" by Ellin Gordon, Barbara L. Luck and Tom Patterson, exhibit catalog for The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, 1997. "Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art—A guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johnson, 2000. "American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends with 1,319 Capsule Biographies" by Florence Laffal and Julius Laffal, 2003.

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