US Folk Art

Mr Imagination (Gregory Warmack) is a native of Chicago. He took a new name when he survived a near-fatal shooting in 1978. He is a self-taught artist who uses simple tools and material that is free for the finding.

He reclaims materials such paintbrushes, bottle caps, brooms and old chairs. From chunks of discarded sandstone foundry molds, he carves fantastic figures, monuments and block-lettered text.

In the 1970s he sold handmade crafts and jewellery on the streets. Some of his stone masks are embellished with found objects, and he makes faces on paintbrushes, the bristles supplying the hair "like a new cut". He has made huge thrones of bottle caps.

Mr Imagination lives on the North Side of Chicago and likes to interact with collectors. He is a mentor for many children in various Chicago neighbourhoods.

Taken from "Self taught, outsider and folk art. A guide to American artists, locations and resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen