At the entrance of Paradise Gardens you will first see the mural that Beverly Finster and Cynthia Wilson painted to recreate Howard's designs on a large scale and to decorate the building at the entrance. Howard added his touch by filling in with some of his distinctive designs to help finish the mural.

Howard is entertaining in front of the entrance building. Here you can see the full frontal view of the work that has been done on the building. You know that you have arrived when you see this building. Stop in for a visit you will never forget.
Howard Finster started Paradise Gardens in the early 60's.
                

                                                             Click Photos for closer view

This cement mosaic sculpture  is one of Howard's first works in his Sculpture Garden. He originally named the Gardens, "Plant Farm Museum". This was based on the fact that he planted the beds with his flowers and vegetables together, raising some of the food for his family here. Howard said that people started calling  it Paradise Gardens and that is why it is named that today. The land is very moist and marsh. It was great for the plants but not for the cement.  He started creating the walkways and sculptures from pieces of broken glass, antiques, ceramics and what ever he could find to put in the cement. He even spelled out names with marbles and bicycle chains.  In the background is one of his mirror houses. This one is built over a creek on posts. Broken dishes that you would through away, Howard took and recycled into cement. He is one of the early inventors of recycling objects, by making them beautiful creations of art.

This little building was Howard's pump house. It was built by the creek so he could pump water for his plants and vegetables. What an ingenious, decorative system that he had going. You can see the beds of plants surrounding the bottle house in this picture. The bottle house also represents the Coca Cola Company because he saved the old glass Coke bottles and built the little pump house with them. This was about the time that the plastic Coke bottle begin to be marketed. He made the front door with stained glass pieces and a cross on the front. The whole time that Howard Finster was creating his Garden for decoration and planting, he was also very purposely creating his little sanctuary to connect people to God. You can feel this connection everywhere you turn in Paradise Gardens. Howard's spirit and labor of love is everywhere.

 

The Garden Chapel awaits to be restored, one of Howard Finster's last wishes for his Paradise on earth. In 1995 Finster Folk Art, Inc. spent over $16,000 just to try and save the roof structures. Due to economics and Howard's slowing down to a halt in painting, Finster Folk Art was no longer able to fund the Chapel expenses. We are now in search for a new way to restore it.

(C) Finster Folk Art