Author: rickatyahoodotcom

New Jersey, US | Eccentric Homes

Since 1989, when Ricky Boscarino stumbled upon the cabin in the woods and began transforming it into Luna Parc, it has been a massive work in progress.

Filled with mosaics influenced by Klimt, Gaudí and Hundertwasser, the house looks as if it had been plucked from some colorful dreamscape and deposited in the backwoods of New Jersey. Artist, designer and “King-o-Luna,” Ricky Boscarino, has transformed the house both inside and out, with the interior of the house covered in his collections of homemade lamps, bottle caps, Buddhas, taxidermy, miniatures, stringed instruments, stained glass and religious icons. Currently Boscarino is collecting Mrs. Butterworth bottles and blue glass for new outdoor sculptures.

A skilled artist in many mediums, among other projects, Boscarino created a four panel stained-glass mural for his bathroom depicting the journey of life from spermatozoa to skeleton. When not working on his house, Boscarino makes and sells art and jewelry (much of it miniature versions of everyday objects, though you can get a miniature fetus and enema bag in gold and silver) and throws two large parties a year in fall and spring.

Luna Parc is not open to the public except for during spring and fall open houses, but there is a virtual tour available on the website.

South Carolina, US | Follies and Grottoes

Howard Finster was born into a family of thirteen in 1916. He attended school only through the sixth grade, by 13 years old was a born again Christian, and by 16 he was preaching. Finster claims to have had his first spiritual revelation at the tender age of three, and said he witnessed his deceased sister coming down from heaven to let him know one important message.

“Howard, you’re gonna be a man of visions.”

In the 1940s Howard, evangelist and pastor, began to work on a new type of vision, a different way with which he intended to spread the word: art.

He began work on a garden-art environment in Summerville, Georgia in 1961, after leaving behind his first undertaking in Trion, Georgia. Howard called this new project and garden “The Plant Farm Museum.” Made of recycled materials, broken glass, concrete, painted objects, rust and other discarded materials he built it to celebrate what he called the “intentions of mankind.”

The site quickly grew to monster proportions, with Howard building multiple buildings on the site, including the “Bible House,” “the Mirror House,” “the Hubcap Tower,””the Bicycle Tower,” “the Machine Gun Nest,” and the astonishingly large, five-story “Folk Art Chapel.”

As Finster’s work began to gain notoriety an article published in Esquire magazine dubbed the garden “A Garden of Paradise” and the name stuck and evolved into what is now “Paradise Gardens.” In 1976 Howard began another art undertaking after he experienced being been called by God to “paint sacred art” which he began to do with great zeal.

You may be familiar with Finster’s work and not realize it. Fans of his work included both REM lead singer Micheal Stipe and Talking Heads singer David Byrne and both worked with Finster and had him create cover art for their albums — the album Reckoning in the case of REM, and Little Creatures for Tlaking Heads.

Howard’s Paradise Gardens remains today, the place for thousands to enjoy for a quiet stroll or for art and music festivals as well as educational research and workshops. Finster died in 2001. The last item Howard Finster put up in his ever evolving Garden was this request, reading:

“Help save the Garden Chapel.
Thousands enjoyed it.
A place of free weddings
and many school groups
Last 40 years.”

Today the Chapel Restoration Fund is attempting to raise money to do so.