St. EOM in the Land of Pasaquan: The Life and Times and Art of Eddie Owens Martin - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0820352098 ISBN 13: 9780820352091

Publisher: University of Georgia Press, 2018

Synopsis

Self-taught Georgia artist Eddie Owens Martin (1908–86), known as St. EOM, created a visionary art site called Pasaquan in the mid-1950s in Marion County, Georgia. Covering seven acres, this evocative and fanciful site has captured the imaginations of thousands of visitors. Pasaquan includes six buildings connected by concrete walls, all of which are adorned with the artist’s vibrant, psychedelic folk art of bold, transfixing patterns, spiritual and tribal imagery, and exuberant depictions of nature.

According to St. EOM, his art arose from a vision he experienced in his mid-twenties, while suffering from a high fever. The first of many visionary experiences, it featured a godlike being who offered to be Martin’s spiritual guide. Subsequent visions inspired him to begin making art and, eventually, to create a spiritual compound dedicated to a peaceful future for humankind. St. EOM enlarged his house to twice its original size by adding a long rear section covered inside and out with his rainbow-hued murals, mandalas, and relief sculptures. On the grounds he built a series of structures including a circular dance platform, some small temples, several totems, and a two-story pagoda, all in his wildly ornamental style. He also created more than two thousand freestanding pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

In the thirty years since St. EOM’s death, the Pasaquan Preservation Society worked to preserve the compound, which had fallen into neglect. In 2014 the Kohler Foundation and Columbus State University partnered with the society to restore the visionary art site for future generations. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About this title

Book Description:

An illustrated history of an important visionary art environment

About the Author:

Tom Patterson is the author of Howard Finster: Stranger from Another World and Contemporary Folk Art: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. His writing has appeared in afterimage, American Craft, Aperture, ARTnews, Art Papers, BOMB, Folk Art, New Art Examiner, Public Art Review, and Raw Vision.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0820352098
• ISBN 13: 9780820352091
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 280