All artworks © Norbert Kox Estate

Norbert Kox welded together and painted his “Demon Hunter” motorcycle while a member of the Waterloo (Iowa) Outlaws biker gang in the mid-1970’s. A few years earlier, one particularly bad hallucinogenic ‘trip’ caused a series of flashbacks, as well as a persistent feeling that God was directing him to quit the gang and live like a hermit in the woods. 

After living about ten years in a small cabin in northern Wisconsin, he emerged around 1986 with the beginnings of a thirty-plus year body of paintings and sculptures that made him probably the best-known religious visionary artist of recent times. 

If Norbert had an inner-demons, they all came out in his work: his was calm, sweet-natured, and courteous – a modest old-school style gentleman who was much beloved.  He was a pleasure to spend time with, and although very much active on social media (with a large following), it was plainly apparent he had no interest in the material worlds of contemporary consumerism and pop-culture.  Truly a messenger from the spiritual world.

See also:

• William Thomas Thompson: Part 1
• William Thomas Thompson: Part 2 - Paintings
• William Thomas Thompson: Part 3 - Contributed Painting Reproductions
• Art Environments - Midwest | Photos by Fred Scruton
• News & Events: Norbert Kox in Raw Vision Magazine
• News & Events: Norbert Kox in Folk Art Messenger Magazine

External resources:

• Norbert Kox website
• Collaborations with William Thomas Thompson
• Green Bay Press obituary