A - The Tinkls ~ B - Paradise Gardens

A - THE TINKLS

Just beyond the city of Toronto, in the countryside there is a homestead like no other. A place of energy, beauty and love between two artists: Judith and Viktor Tinkl. Judith is a quilter and master gardener. Viktor is a sculptor and self-confessed “amateur architect”. They met over 40 years ago and began a life of artistic and personal collaboration. Their life together began here in a one-room schoolhouse with no running water. Judith says, ‘I came here because he was here’. Over four decades, their home has become a reflection of their love for each other and their devotion to the creation of art. From the sprawling gardens to the vast amount of fantastic whimsical sculptures, every inch of their property is an expression of their life together.

B - PARADISE GARDENS

Howard Finster began preaching at the age of 13 and continued spreading the word until his death at the age of 84… but it was not enough. In 1961 he drained and reclaimed 2 and a half acres of swampland in Pennville, Georgia and began to collect cast off materials. Out of Finster’s vision came Paradise Garden -- mosaic pathways, a ‘mirror house’, a concrete shoe covered in scripture, sculptures of various inventions and machinery and the “World’s Folk Art Church” -- the chapel of Paradise Gardens. As legend has it, God called upon Finster to “paint sacred art” and he began blending images of Christ, Elvis and other pop culture icons. One of his 48,000 paintings appeared on the cover of “Little Creatures”, an album by The Talking Heads and was proclaimed the album cover of the year in 1985 by Rolling Stone magazine – as a result, it introduced Finster to a completely new audience. Once almost in ruins, the Garden is making a comeback, ‘It’s comin’ alive now, I can feel it, it feels good’ says daughter Beverly Finster.