Tony Dotson: An American Outsider

Tony Dotson makes work that is firmly rooted in Folk Art traditions but frequently uses wry commentary to connect to contemporary issues and pop culture sentiments. Dotson has been a fixture in the annual Art of Food event, building crowd-pleasing environments using his immediately recognizable visual language. For An American Outsider, Dotson plans to present both two- and three-dimensional works, including constructing a tower through the center of the gallery. Dotson states, “I’m a self-taught outsider artist. I paint like a 6-year-old with an adult theme, and try to tell a simple story with each piece.  My art and stuff is made from found objects, reused goods, and junk that other people don’t want.”