Preschool and Elementary School Art (1970’s)


Preschool Art – A Love of Drawing Birds

Preschool and elementary school art pieces that exist are in small numbers these days. The oldest is a painting of our parakeet Henry. My mother purchased him when I was 4 years old. Henry was a good bird, and he lived with us for many years. I’m sure it was because of Henry that my art initially centered around birds. I loved to draw birds.

Preschool art, John O'Keefe Jr earliest surviving painting of his pet parakeet Henry, created when he was six years old
“Henry”
Acrylic on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1976 (6 years old)
Preschool art, John O'Keefe Jr crayon drawing of a parrot and a bird, created when he was seven years old
[Crayon]
Crayon on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978 (7 years old)
Preschool art, John O'Keefe Jr crayon drawing of a barn swallow, created when he was seven years old
“Swallow”
Crayon on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978 (7 years old)

I can still remember drawing this cardinal. It was winter, and I saw this little fellow while looking through our dining room window. He was walking on the roof of a birdhouse that was hanging in the backyard and then he flew away. I went and got my colored pencils and paper and drew this picture.

Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr colored pencil drawing of a cardinal, created when he was seven years old
“The Cardinal”
Colored Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978 (7 years old)

Visiting Museums in New York City

Memorable were the summer vacations to our grandparents home in Astoria in Queens, New York. My mother would send us there for about 4 to 6 weeks during our school summer vacations, and they continued until my brother, and I became teenagers. Looking back, those summers in New York City were a beautiful and peaceful time in my life. Today, when the stress of life starts creeping up on me, I sit back and remember those visits.

John O'Keefe Jr posing with a drawing outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was seven years old
Outside the Museum of Natural History.
(Pictures taken by my Aunt Annie)

It was during those visits that my grandparents or my Aunt Annie would take my brother and me into Manhattan to visit the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These next drawings are from one of the trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Aunt Annie. I remember on this occasion how we took our time going through the bird exhibits so that I would have time to draw these pictures.

Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr colored pencil drawing of a bird, created when he was seven years old
[Colored Pencil]
Colored Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977 (7 years old)
Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr colored pencil drawing of an owl, created when he was seven years old
“Owl”
Colored Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977 (7 years old)
Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr colored pencil drawing of ducks in a pond, created when he was seven years old
“Ducks”
Colored Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977 (7 years old)
Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr colored pencil drawing of duck, created when he was seven years old
“Duck”
Colored Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977 (7 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of an owl, created when he was seven years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Owl”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977 (7 years old)

Elementary School Art – Drawing People

Although I loved to draw birds, I created other things too. Below are some portraits. The first portrait is of my grandfather, the second is a family friend named Teddy, and the third is a picture of Vincent Price that I copied from the cover of a TV Guide.

Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of his grandfather, created when he was seven years old
“Grandpa”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977 (7 years old)
Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of a family friend named Teddy, created when he was seven or eight years old
“Teddy”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977-78 (7-8 years old)

I can remember my dad’s reaction when he saw this portrait of Vincent Price. He could not believe that I drew it. He made copies so that he could show them to his friends. It felt good inside seeing how proud he was of me.

Preschool and elementary school art, John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of Vincent Price, created when he was seven or eight years old
“Vincent Price”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1977-78 (7-8 years old)

Elementary School Art – My Love of Drawing Birds Continues

Here are some more birds from my preschool and elementary school art years. I was getting better at drawing in the details, which can be seen in the feathers of these next images.

John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of a Canary signed to his mother, created when he was eight years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Finch”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978 (8 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of Canary, created when he was eight years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Finch”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978 (8 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of two woodpeckers, created when he was eight or nine years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Woodpeckers”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978-79 (8-9 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of a parakeet, created when he was eight or nine years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Parakeet”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1978-79 (8-9 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of a macaw, created when he was nine years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Parrot”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1979 (9 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr pencil drawing of a blue-jay, created when he was nine years old, preschool and elementary school art
“Blue Jay”
Pencil on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1979 (9 years old)

Elementary School Art – Private Art Lessons with Kathy Singer

My parents soon realized that I had a natural artistic ability. They signed me up for private art lessons with a local artist named Kathy Singer. Kathy introduced me to landscapes, watercolors, and hand-made crafts using paper-mache. We usually met at her home for the lessons, but she also took us on field trips. I remember one such trip to a farm that had an old barn. I have several drawings from that trip but they are badly faded, and I could not produce quality scans for this webpage. Kathy Singer was a good art teacher, and I enjoyed her lessons. (See Kathy Singers watercolors and acrylics)

John O'Keefe Jr watercolor of an apple, created when he was nine or ten years old
“Apple”
Watercolor on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1979-80 (9-10 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr watercolor of a light house, created when he was nine or ten years old
“Lighthouse”
Watercolor on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1979-80 (9-10 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr watercolor of a fowl, created when he was nine or ten years old
“Pheasant”
Watercolor on Paper,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1979-80 (9-10 years old)

Elementary School Art – Painting Lessons in Queens, New York

My Aunt Annie loved to watch me draw. Here is a painting that I did at her apartment in Queens, New York. This was my first landscape painting using acrylics. It was around this time in my life that I also began to take an interest in sailing ships.

John O'Keefe Jr first acrylic landscape painting, created when he was ten years old
“1st Acrylic Landscape”
Acrylic on Board,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1980 (10 years old)

My Aunt Annie and her husband (Uncle Joe) used to paint together, and they painted maritime and landscape scenes. Uncle Joe, who died when I was very young, loved to paint and build model ships. I remember sitting in their living room and staring at a model ship of the ‘Cutty Sark’ that Uncle Joe made. It was awesome! I eventually inherited that model, but it was severely damaged during the journey from New York to to my home in Connecticut. I could not fix it and sadly it one day went into the garbage. However, my mother and I have all of the original paintings they created together. Aunt Annie and Uncle Joe were definitely an inspiration to me. (See Aunt Annie’s paintings)

Elementary School Art – Art Classes at Paier College of Art

One day a week I was allowed to leave school early and attend special art classes at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. This was great because none of the other kids got to do that! I don’t have any of those art projects, but they were all hands on. There was a lot of sculpting and building using different materials and mediums. The skills I learned opened up new ways for me to express myself through art. Creating images on paper was no longer my limit. Below is a castle that I starting building out of cardboard shortly after my experiences at Paier.

John O'Keefe Jr castle made from cardboard, created when he was ten or eleven years old
“The Castle – View 1”
Cardboard,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1980-81 (10-11 years old)
John O'Keefe Jr castle made from cardboard (another view), created when he was ten or eleven years old
“The Castle – View 2”
Cardboard,
John O’Keefe Jr.,
1980-81 (10-11 years old)

Connecticut Artist and Art Teacher Kathy Singer (1970’s)

Private Art Teacher

I received private art lessons from Connecticut artist, and art teacher Kathy Singer during the late 1970s. Kathy taught me to work in several different mediums, that included watercolor, graphite, and papier-mache. We primarily worked at her home, but we also went on field trips to scenic locations around Connecticut. I remember one such trip to a farm in Cheshire where we drew one of the barns multiple times from various vantage points. It was a fun outing that took the better part of a day.

Papier-mache projects were also fun. We would make funny characters using strips of rolled and crumpled cardboard fastened together using masking tape. After the figures were shaped to our satisfaction, we coated the creation with papier-mache. Once dried, we painted our characters to bring them to life. They were fun crafty projects, and I learned a lot from Kathy.

Kathy also taught me basic watercolor techniques that I continued to develop and refine long after our art lessons had stopped. I feel that her instructions on shadow, and lighting were informative, and beneficial in my development as a young artist.

Watercolor Portraits by Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer

Watercolor on Paper, Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer, 1970's
Watercolor on Paper
Kathy Singer
1970’s
Watercolor on Paper
Kathy Singer
1970’s
Watercolor on Paper
Kathy Singer
1970’s
Watercolor on Paper, Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer, 1970's
Watercolor on Paper
Kathy Singer
1970’s
Watercolor on Paper, Kathy Singer, 1970's
Watercolor on Paper
Kathy Singer
1970’s
Watercolor on Paper, Kathy Singer, 1970's
Watercolor on Paper
Kathy Singer
1970’s

Pastel Artworks by Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer

In 2009 I received a call from Kathy Singer after she found my website. We talked about the things we have done since we last spoke over 30 years ago and she was thrilled that I was still creating art. I asked about her watercolors, and she mentioned that her new love is pastel and landscapes. She sent some images of her recent works, and I have posted them below. Please enjoy these artworks by Connecticut artist, and art teacher Kathy Singer.

Pastel on Paper, Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer, 2000's
Pastel on Paper
Kathy Singer
2000’s
Pastel on Paper, Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer, 2000's
Pastel on Paper
Kathy Singer
2000’s
Pastel on Paper, Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer, 2000's
Pastel on Paper
Kathy Singer
2000’s
Acrylic on Canvas, Connecticut Artist Kathy Singer, 2000's
Acrylic on Canvas
Kathy Singer
2000’s

Beloved Art Teacher and Mentor Ann Fucich (1970’s)

Ann Fucich, who is my Aunt Ann, and who we affectionately call Teta (Slovenian) Annie, was my earliest artistic influence and instructor. I would spend my entire summer vacation at my grandparents home in Astoria in Queens, New York, and this enabled Teta Annie and I, who lived nearby, to spend a lot of time together. For example, art projects were always a large part of our time spent with each other. Also, she was always encouraging me to create art even when I was home in Connecticut and we talked on the phone. These experiences with her helped to shape my artistic interests as a young child. Because of this, I have only warm, loving memories of my earliest, and most beloved art teacher and mentor, Ann Fucich.

Beloved Art Teacher Ann Fucich History

Teta Annie’s history (and mine) reaches back to Kuzelj, Austria. Ann was born on October 28th, 1917 as Ann Saganich and died on May 3rd, 2014 at the age of 97. Teta Annie had five siblings, and her sister Elizabeth was my grandmother. Later, her first true love, Joe Fucich, married Ann. I would describe Ann’s painting style as very similar to Grandma Moses.

Acrylic on Paper, Art Teacher and Mentor Ann Fucich, 1973
Acrylic on Paper
Ann Fucich
1973

Joe Fucich loved the ocean, and I was told that he served as a mariner when he was a young man. Therefore, inspired by his love of the ocean, Joe created maritime scenes alongside Ann, and a few of those early works continue to exist in the family collection.

Acrylic on Paper, Joe Fucich, 1973
Acrylic on Paper
Joe Fucich
1973
Acrylic on Paper, Joe Fucich, 1973
Acrylic on Paper
Joe Fucich
1973

Teta Annie often took my brother and me into Manhattan to visit art museums or sit in parks with a case full of drawing supplies. As a result, we had many outings to the Museum of Natural History where we would spend hours at the bird exhibit drawing and sketching. Afterwards, we would go back to Teta Annie’s apartment in Queens and draw or paint. Teta Annie would paint alongside my brother and me, giving us guidance as needed until we became comfortable expressing ourselves in our own paintings.

Busy Beach, 10 X 17 inch (25.4 x 43.2 cm), Acrylic on Board, Art Teacher and Mentor Ann Fucich, 1977
“Busy Beach”
10 X 17 inch (25.4 x 43.2 cm)
Acrylic on Board
Ann Fucich
1977

Teta Annie created many detailed paintings in acrylic and oil during her lifetime. Also, she created a large picture of my childhood home in Wallingford, Connecticut, and my mother has this painting hanging in the house to this day. Other works that have remained in the family are paintings of Annie’s ancestral town in Kuzelj, Austria and Joe’s home in Trieste, Italy.

Outstanding Paintings by Ann Fucich

'Joe's Home Town, Trieste, Italy', 12 X 16 inch (30.5 x 40.6 cm), Acrylic on Board, Art Teacher Ann Fucich, 1974
“Joe’s Home Town, Trieste, Italy”
12 X 16 inch (30.5 x 40.6 cm),
Acrylic on Board,
Ann Fucich,
1974
'Ann's Ancestral Roots, Kuzelj, Austria', 12 X 16 inch (30.5 x 40.6 cm), Acrylic on Board, Art Teacher Ann Fucich, 1974
“Ann’s Ancestral Roots, Kuzelj, Austria”
12 X 16 inch (30.5 x 40.6 cm),
Acrylic on Board,
Ann Fucich,
1974
'Wallingford Connecticut Home', 18 x 24 inch (45.7 x 61.0 cm), Acrylic on Board, Art Teacher Ann Fucich, 1977
“Wallingford Connecticut Home”
18 x 24 inch (45.7 x 61.0 cm),
Acrylic on Board,
Ann Fucich,
1977

I feel that I owe much to Teta Annie. Below are pictures of her with my family shortly before she passed away. Therefore, this post is in memory of my beloved art teacher and mentor Ann Fucich.

Ann Fucich and my family relaxing at her apartment in Queens
Ann Fucich and my family relaxing at her apartment in Queens.
Beloved art teacher and mentor Ann Fucich
Ann Fucich