Artwork by renowned folk artist and Chattooga County resident Howard Finster will be featured in a special auction next weekend, with a fundraising event planned to benefit the preservation of his famous Paradise Garden in Summerville.

The Heavenly Barbecue will be held Thursday, November 5, from 1 until 4 p.m. at Slotin Auction in downtown Buford, Georgia. The event will give collectors and folk art enthusiasts an opportunity to preview Finster artwork before a major auction scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8.

The auction will feature 42 lots of Finster artwork and memorabilia, with estimated values ranging from several hundred dollars to as much as $20,000.

Among the featured pieces is a 1978 drawing titled Sketches of Howard by Howard, containing more than 40 individual self-portraits drawn in pencil and ink on a single sheet of lined paper.

The artwork measures approximately 9½ by 12 inches and carries an estimated auction value of $400 to $600.

Finster wrote on the drawing, “I think any artist should first learn to draw himself.”

Several of the items being auctioned come from the collection of the late John F. Turner, a longtime friend and supporter of Finster who authored the 1989 book Howard Finster: Man of Visions. The Life and Work of a Self-Taught Artist.

Turner’s collection includes original sketches, photographs and handwritten notes that provide a personal look at Finster’s artistic career and life.

Finster, who lived and worked in Chattooga County, became internationally recognized for his colorful folk art and religiously inspired paintings. His Paradise Garden in Summerville remains one of Northwest Georgia’s most distinctive cultural attractions and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Heavenly Barbecue will include a barbecue buffet served at 2 p.m. Tickets begin at $50, with special Patron Saint tickets also available. Those tickets include private tours of Paradise Garden to be scheduled at a later date.

All proceeds from the Heavenly Barbecue will support the operation and ongoing preservation of Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden in Summerville. The artwork itself will be offered through Slotin Auction’s separate November 7–8 sale.

Tickets for the fundraiser are available at museumgifts.square.site.