A Mayes Sign at Finster’s Paradise Garden

Last year I found out that Henry Harrison Mayes and Folk Art legend Rev. Howard Finster knew each other and Mayes even influenced Finster with his sign ministry. The first clue about this relationship I found in Norman Girardot’s book Envisioning Howard Finster: The Religion and Art of a Stranger from Another World.

And digging deeper, I learned about Eleanore Dickinson and how she brought the two together.

I even had the chance to visit the Library of Congress to listen to the tapes, Dickison made when they met.

Today I came across a photography by Roger Manley of Finster’s Paradise Garden, with one of Mayes “Get Right With God” signs in the background. This is a wonderful direct link between the two.

In the same Roger Manley picture set of Howard Finster and his work, I found a piece that depicted a man in the foreground, a cross in the background, and the typical block of text where Finster adds some context and explains how many pieces he has already painted.

It’s maybe a bit of a stretch, but I’d like to believe that this is Harrison Mayes with his roadside cross.

I built this park of broken pieces to try to mend a broken world of people who are traveling their last road.

Roger Manley is the author of the book “The End is near!”