John Boatright

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American Artist
John Boatright
Born
John Luther Boatright

(1923-09-29)September 29, 1923
DiedFebruary 18, 2006(2006-02-18) (aged 82)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materRingling School of Art, Sarasota, Florida
Known forPainting
AwardsBest of Tennessee Competition, Purchase Award, Tennessee State Museum, 2001
"Best in the USA," Realistic Fine Art Competition, Merit Award, Springfield, Mass., 1987
"The Early Eighties" Tennessee State Museum, Purchase Award, 1982

John Luther Boatright (1923–2006) was an American painter,[1][2] primarily known for his use of light-filled atmospheres and shadow in landscapes with expansive cloud formations.[3] His primary medium was oil on canvas, or linen.

Golden Pastureland by John L. Boatright

Early life and education[edit]

John Luther Boatright was born on September 29, 1923, in Maury County Tennessee (near Columbia) to Hubert and Pearl Boatright. He was the oldest of three boys. In 1942, at the age of 18 he enlisted in the U.S. Army. During WWII he served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assigned to a unit in support of the Third US Army in France, Belgium and finally Germany. Upon returning to the United States he had the opportunity to attend college under the GI bill[4] at either the Art Institute of Chicago or the Ringling School of Art.[5] After spending the winter in a tent in Belgium, he chose Florida. At the Ringling School of Art he met Roberta Ann Lethermon, and they were married in 1949.

Career[edit]

John worked as a graphic artist and illustrator in Memphis Tennessee from 1949 to 1989.[6] In 1975, he and his boys built a studio in the backyard of their home in Memphis, and he gradually shifted over to a highly successful career as a landscape painter, while doing the occasional portrait. He continued to create and sell his paintings at various galleries around the U.S. until about a year before his death on February 18, 2006, at the age of 82.

Public Collections[edit]

  • Tennessee State Museum,[7] Nashville

Selected Corporate Collections[edit]

  • Boyle Investment Co., Memphis, TN
  • Cherokee Country Club, Knoxville TN
  • First American Bank, Knoxville, TN
  • Kraft Incorporated, Corporate Collection, Memphis, TN
  • Opryland Hotel and Convention Center, Nashville, TN

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kelly, James, C. (1985). LANDSCAPE and GENRE PAINTING in TENNESSEE, 1810-1985. Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 2: Tennessee Historical Society. p. 16. ISSN 0040-3261. JSTOR 42629712.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Falk, P.H. (1999). Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975. Madison, CT: Sound View Press. p. 3724. ISBN 0932087558.
  3. ^ Metzger, Phil (1993). Enliven Your Paintings With Light (Elements of Painting Series). Cincinnati, OH: North Light Books. pp. 136. ISBN 0891345140.
  4. ^ 223D. "Education and Training Home". benefits.va.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Ringling College of Art & Design | Ringling College of Art & Design". www.ringling.edu. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
  6. ^ "John Boatright - AskArt".
  7. ^ CATALOGUE of the EXHIBITION. Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 2: Tennessee Historical Society. 1985. pp. 142–143. ISSN 0040-3261. JSTOR 42629713.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)