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View Images USA Appalachia

Richmond, VA John William "Uncle Jack" Dey 1912-1978 Paintings

Information: John William Dey's paintings tell stories from his life as well as imagined adventures and fanciful daydreams. Many of his story/paintings are full of friendly animals and people he admired--and sometimes people he disliked, shown in uncomfortable positions. His paintings often use birds (usually crows) to form strong and repetitive geometric patterns that enhance composition; rabbits also appear in almost all his works and, in Dey's words, "anchor the painting." Dey spent thirteen years on the Richmond City Police Force, where he earned the affectionate moniker of Uncle Jack from neighborhood children whose toys and bikes he fixed. Shortly after leaving the police force, Uncle Jack started to paint. In his paintings, he told story after story--some true, some fables--from his memory, enhancing them with a tongue in-cheek sense of humor. These paintings have with-stood the test of time and earned him a reputation as an outstanding folk painter. Abbeville Press

	Reference / Links:
	Abbeville Press Slotin Folk Art Smithsonian American Art Museum The AMICA Library Smithsonian American Art Museum Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Bibliography: "Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists" by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, New York, 1990. "20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993. "Contemporary American Folk Art - A Collector's Guide" Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, 1996. "Flying Free: Twentieth-Century Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Ellin and Baron Gordon" by Ellin Gordon, Barbara L. Luck and Tom Patterson, exhibit catalog for The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, 1997. "Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art—A guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johnson, 2000. "American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends with 1,319 Capsule Biographies" by Florence Laffal and Julius Laffal, 2003. Slotin Folk Art Auction Catalog, Masterpiece Sale, November 4, 2006. "Contemporary Folk Art: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum" by Tom Patterson, Watson-Guptill Publications/New York, 2001.

Credit: Slotin Folk Art

	Credit: Slotin Folk Art
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