Dennis Ray Blalock
| Dennis Ray Blalock | |
|---|---|
 BlalockSelfPortrait.jpg ' ' Self Portrait ' ' | |
| Born | October 4, 1942 Liberty, Mississippi |
| 💀Died | September 17, 2015 (aged 72) Hagerstown, MarylandSeptember 17, 2015 (aged 72) |
| 🏳️ Nationality | United States |
| 🏫 Education | University of Maryland in Zweibrücken, Germany |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Movement | Classical Realist and Fantasy Painting |
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Dennis Ray Blalock (1942-2015) was a classical realist painter with strong fantasy and surrealist leanings, bonsai artist, koi hobbyist, poet, writer, and teacher.
His career was primarily devoted to oil painting. He filled this career raising bonsai, breeding koi, composing poetry as well as writing philosophical, scientific and mystic pieces. He also wrote a yet to be published modern allegorical novel titled “Indra’s Net”.
Early life (1942-1963)
Blalock was born on October 4, 1942 in Liberty, Mississippi to Fendrick Scott Blalock and Hazel Angelina Daugherty, the third of six children. [1] [2] Blalock entered the U.S. Army on April 17, 1963 [3] at age 20 just as U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was escalating. He served in the 7th Cavalry Regiment (a.k.a. Custer’s Unit) and volunteered for three tours of duty .[4] He received a Presidential Unit Citation and a Valorous Unit Award (DD form 214).
After the war, Blalock utilized his military time to expand his education. He studied the language of each country where he was stationed in Europe and Asia.[5] Although he was primarily autodidact, he studied geology among other subjects in the University of Maryland University College Europe in Zweibrücken, Germany. In France and South Korea where he first saw the Frank Frazetta painting entitled "Death Dealer" on the side of a building near the border of North Korea that made a very big impression on him. [6] He began studying various painting styles. In Japan,[7] he took lessons from various ‘masters’, and studied painting, martial arts, haiku (a traditional poetic form), bonsai and koi breeding. In Thailand, he studied classic Hindu art. He also studied Taoism and his philosophy became “Right is easy and easy is right”. [8]
Personal life and second career (1970-2015)
Blalock met his wife Lillian Jurta in 1970, after she transferred from the Department of Defense in Washington D.C. to become secretary to the Commander of the Army Materiel Command in Europe. In 1974, they married. After they left Germany in 1979, they settled in Thurmont, Maryland.
In Thurmont, Blalock opened “Firedrake Art Studio” and Lillian worked as secretary/ administrative assistant at Fort Dietrich in Frederick.
Blalock began accepting art students… one at a time. Most described him as a hard task master, eccentric, even a curmudgeon. Some dropped out of his class because he hurt their feelings with his painfully honest critiques. Some were kicked out if they made him lose his temper by questioning his guidance. Those who stuck with him learned much (and appreciated his painful honesty) and found him to be, underneath it all, a really kind person who truly wanted his serious students to succeed. They also realized they were receiving valuable lessons from a true genius.
Blalock had many young visitors who were curious about the unusual man who had moved into the area. Pretty soon there was a cadre of regulars. They kept coming back for more of his mystical and mesmerizing tales of oriental dragons, mythology religion, philosophy, science, war stories and other things. He could recite the poetry of many poets. Blalock loved the debates that ensued. He introduced all who entered his studio to the varied classical music always playing in the background. Blalock said sometimes felt he had become their ‘guru’.
Over the years, Lillian adopted many stray cats. Blalock painted every one of them very realistically for her. But one painting was of a charming little, almost cartoonish, “Fat Cat” that reflected Blalock’s sense of whimsy.
Blalock began having heart problems in the mid to late 1990’s. Over the next several years he had numerous serious operations at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Luckily, he was still able to paint and lead limited classes.
In 2012, Lillian began having health problems too. Blalock painted very little then as he devotedly took care of Lillian as she battled cancer for over a year. After she died on Oct. 4, 2013 (his birthday!), he felt his muse had left him. He did not paint again.
Blalock’s health slowly deteriorated as he took care of household chores, his bonsai, koi and Lillian’s beloved cats. He hired a man to take care of Lillian’s gardens under his supervision. He managed for a couple years, but in the summer of 2015 he realized he could no longer take care of anything ,,, including himself. He gave away his bonsai to his students, his koi to Hunting Creek Fisheries, and the much loved cats to his sister-in-law, Patricia Jurta, his sister-in-law, was happy to help him in this way.
Painter
Blalock’s talent was recognized when he began showing his paintings in various shows and galleries in Europe when he was in the military. He said France and Germany appreciated artists more so than the U.S. He won a number of awards in France and Germany and sold many surrealist paintings in the galleries there. He had many positive reviews in the French art critics’ newspaper columns. Unfortunately, the names of these paintings and galleries were lost after he died. Hopefully not lost forever. So far only one painting from his days painting in Germany has been found, an untitled (space fantasy). However, four more photos of paintings from the 70's have been found. One shows Blalock actually painting on one. But we don't know where they are now, probably in Germany where these photos were taken.
Describing his later style with one word is virtually impossible. He was a romantic realist sometimes. But he also painted fantasy, surrealism, abstracts, landscapes, portraits and figurals, still lifes, and often combinations of the above. He utilized a dramatic use of chiaroscuro and luminosity to his works. He was very prolific and was accomplished in a tremendous variety of styles. They were virtually all oil on canvas. The only prints he agreed to have made were of many of his koi paintings for Hunting Creek Fisheries.
One gallery owner, Clifford Springer, commented on Blalock, " I found him to be challenging, forthright, intelligent and talented. His work as an artist I found to be intriguing, clever, well composed and daring. He was often playing with the eye of the viewer, I really enjoyed his color tone on his fish as well as his miniaturization and scaling of surfaces. Dennis could grow patina from his paint brush! I loved that! Further, I found his technique of something I call “The Texas Two Step” and I saw many people do it, it was so very compelling. Viewers would stand approximately 4 feet away from his work and then discover the music to “The Texas Two Step”. They quickly move two steps closer to the image, to discover a whole new element of his work, it could appear in the Fairie's wings, the fish scales or even the dragon’s tongue. This microscopic miniaturization was intriguing as well as haunting. Dennis loved that music and watching people in Benjamin's perform this little dance. Benjamin Art Gallery hosted a number of shows for Dennis. He was one of our cherished artists. He became a Benjamin Art Gallery "Artist of the Year" in 2008 and joined two other artists on the Benjamin Art Gallery's 'Wall of Fame'.[9]
Early on, he did many Western paintings, and then a Vietnam series. Later he began doing more series with some very unusual names (i.e., ‘Ephemeris’, ‘Kaleidoscope’, ‘Citadel' (walls)’, and ‘Hell Hound’ (anti-abortion). Another yearly series he did each autumn was called ‘Ochiba Shigure’ (Autumn Leaves and Falling Rain). He also wrote a poem to explain his rationale for these.
Many galleries were excited to show his works, but some fantasy galleries told him his work was 'too strong' or 'two scary' or 'too hard to understand'. Blalock said, “I don’t expect everyone to understand my art. I paint mythology not fairytales”. He said that his paintings would end up where they are supposed to be.
List of galleries in the U.S.
- Santa Fe, NM; New Orleans, LA (hoping someone can add the names of galleries here)
- Catepety, Weinberg Center, Delaplaine, Everedy, Second Street, Brighton Fine Arts, Hodgson Art Gallery (Frederick, MD)
- Vintage House Gallery (Funkstown, MD.)
- Last Green Place (Middlebury, VT.)
- Light Street Gallery (Baltimore, MD.)
- Benjamin Art Gallery (Hagerstown, MD).
' ' Master Builder ' '
Partial list of shows he participated in
- Catoctin Group Shows (numerous shows in the region)
- Catoctin Colorfest
- Delaplaine Gallery (numerous shows)
- Hogson Art Gallery, Frederick Community College (1986)
- Brighton Fine Arts Gallery, (1989 Solo)
- Everedy Gallery (1991 Solo)
- Weinburg Center (1986 Solo,’87, ’89, ’92)
- Lily Pons (yearly art show)
- Fort Richie Arts and Crafts Center 1992 (Together with his student Eliane Ambrose)
- Washington County Museum of Fine Art Cumberland Valley Show 1996 ( A. Lesley Gardner Landscape Cash Award)
- Hodgson Art Gallery, Frederick Community College (2001 Solo)
- Last Green Place Gallery, Middlebury, Vermont, 2004 (Together with his student Elisabet Stacy-Hurley)
- Benjamin Gallery 2005 (Together with his student Elisabet Stacy-Hurley)
- Summer Solstice Projekt 2009 (group show)
Bonsai artist
Dennis Ray Blalock began bonsai as a diversion when stationed in Japan. He took lessons from a Japanese monk in a monastery for a year. When he returned to America, he visited the “Father of Bonsai” John Naka and became inspired and fell in love with the art of bonsai.
Blalock added a small greenhouse to the back of his painting studio so that he could easily go back and forth to work on both. He built a portable roadside sign that he could periodically set out in front of his home saying simply ‘Bonsai’. The sign brought in many bonsai buyers who were also introduced to his paintings while they were there. Many became collectors of both his paintings and bonsai.
Blalock gave many lessons in the art of bonsai. John (Fred) Tresselt and Thomas Cleary learned from Blalock to carry on his teachings.
Dr. Karen Harkaway, a dermatologist, was one of his students who entered her trees into many shows and won many awards, She became the president of the American Bonsai Association. Her husband, Micheal Grace said she credits Blalock with taking her under his wing and helping her get off to the right start. [10]
In June 2015, Dr. Harkaway invited Blalock to the American Bonsai Conference where he was honored. Blalock donated one of his paintings entitled “Goshin” (a painting one of John Naka’s most famous bonsai trees) that sold at their silent auction that day. [11]
Dennis Blalock saw bonsai as an art form that could be a simple decoration or rise to the highest level of a very spiritual art form. He said, “I enjoy the spiritual lessons in bonsai”.
Koi (Japanese carp) hobbyist
Blalock built a koi pond in front of his home and began casually experimenting with breeding koi at the encouragement of Hunting Creek Fisheries, a family owned fish farm and hatchery nearby. With Blalock as advisor, the Hunting Creek Fisheries’ owner Ernest Tresselt and his son John (Fred) Tresselt embarked on an ambitious project to breed a new type of koi…what they called ”shadowed Showa”. After some trial and error, they developed a four-colored variety combining the Showa and Utsuri. The fish combined deep orange and black colors with lustrous white and a reticulated scale pattern. They did not pursue patents because of the difficulty of doing that with living things. Blalock gave it a Japanese name of “Kage-ga Showa” and an American name of “Shadow Fire”.
The cover of the 1991 Summer Issue of the Irvine Valley College Community Education magazine featured one of his many koi paintings entitled “Taisho Sanshoku”. Later he worked as adviser with Hunting Creek Fisheries on genetic backcrossing to develop a green colored koi. Before his death, they were successful and called it “Midori”. [12]
Death (September 17, 2015)
Blalock died of heart failure on Sept. 17, 2015.[citation needed]
Blalock’s legacy
Blalock left a varied legacy from his time on earth. Not only countless paintings, but also hundreds of bonsai trees, two new colors of koi, and numerous writings including unpublished poetry, short stories and a novel.
Some feel another part of his legacy are his students. Some of his bonsai students share his teachings to a new generation of students, and koi collectors carry on his rare colored koi. He encouraged his students to carried on his teachings of classic painting. He said they were obligated to carry on the techniques of traditional oils painting as he was afraid it could become a ‘lost art’. He often said artists today have a connection to the early cave painters and perhaps a mystic ‘brotherhood’ between all artists throughout the ages.
He had often told students of his plan to do one last painting before he died that he would title “Walks on Lightning”. He waited a little too long, but long enough to task some of his students with painting this for him. It will be interesting to see what they do with this last assignment.
List of some of his painting students
- Nancy Houston
- John (Fred) Tresselt
- Eliane Ambrose
- Elisabet Stacy-Hurley
- Debbie Kallgren
- Peter McGuire Wolf PhD
- Ray Buchheister
Works
-
Dawn in the Forest of Cold -
Untitled (New York waterfall) -
Cry for Grindel -
In the day of the voice of the Seventh Angel -
Kaleidoscope Fireflies -
Light in Catoctin Hollow -
Wing of The Dragon -
The Harbinger -
The Dragons Egg -
Ancalagon The Black
Sources
Frederick Library, ‘Maryland Room’ (most info about Blalock was gathered from Frederick Post-News archives there)
Frederick News-Post Newspaper (some articles from 1985 until 2015 obituary) List:
- Mon. Oct.9, 1985 E-4
- Wed. Jan.29,1986 B-4 (solo show)
- Mon. Feb.9, 1987 B-1 (long article by editor Anne M. Kelly)
- Wed .Mar.18, 1987 D-9
- Fri. June 19, 1987 C-3
- Wed. Nov.4, 1987 E-4
- Wed. Dec.30, 1987 B-1
- Wed. April 5, 1989 B-5
- Wed. Nov. 15, 1989 E-4 (solo show)
- Wed. July 3, 1991 C-3 (solo show)
- Wed. Jan.22, 1993 B-9 (Catoctin Group)
- Wed. Nov.3,1993 C-11 (Catoctin Group)
- Thu. Aug.18, 1994 D-1 (bonsai article by editor Susan Summers)
- Wed. Jan.24, 2001 A-13 (solo show)
- Thur. Mar. 6, 2008 (found online- promoting art show "Eclectico" at Benjamin Gallery articles.herald-mail.com/2008-02-24[permanent dead link])
- Tues. Aug.26, 2008 (bonsai article by staff writer Nicholas C. Stern can also be found online entitled "Overcoming adversity, Bonsai is living sculpture")
- Fri. June 12, 2009 (Projekt adv.)
- Sept.17,2015 Obituary http://www.staufferfuneralhome.com/notices/Dennis-Blalock/
The Herald-Mail, Hagerstown, Md (some articles from 2005 until 2008) Found in Wash.Co.Free Library... microfilm archives) List:
- Thu. March 3, 10, 17, 2005 D3
- Sat. Feb. 24, 2008 (found article on articles.herald-mail.com/2008-02-24[permanent dead link] entitled "Old-style photographer, new-fangled show"..promoting show "Eclectico" coming up on Mar.7.
All photo use permission given by copyright owner: Carolyn Dollar (heir to all photo copyrights), (photographs donated from: Carolyn Dollar, Jeff Flora, Elisabet Stacy-Hurley, Karen Shifler, J. Williams, Jr., Patricia Jurta)
Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92720
Hunting Creek Fisheries, www.huntingcreekfisheries.com
*Greg Bernstein, Director of Operations of Gateway Mountain Center (5 interview videos)
*Peter McGuire Wolf PhD, Professor at Penn. Univ. (1 interview video)
*Anne Yoshimura, Defense Analyst with the Dept.of Defense (deciphered forms DA 2-1 and DD 214)
Footnotes
- ↑ His brothers were Fendrick (the oldest and also called ‘Fen’) Malin Blalock and Glenn Allen Blalock, and his three sisters are Carolyn Blalock Dollar; Virginia Blalock Albritton; and Charlotte Blalock Weathers.
- ↑ Dollar, Carolyn Blalock. Blalock’s sister and executor of his estate consolidated the memories of her sisters and brothers is the main source of information of his early life.
- ↑ Dennis Ray Blalock’s (DRB’s) Department of Army (DA) Form 2-1, Section III (Service, Training and Other Dates), Item 20 (Basic Enlisted Service Date).
- ↑ DRB’s DA Form 2-1, Section VII (Current and Previous Assignments), Item 35 (Record of Assignments) documents his duty assignment to the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry.
- ↑ DRB’s DA Form 2-1, Section II (Classification and Assignments Data), Item 17 documents his 20 hours study of Spoken Japanese II at Camp Zama, Japan in 1968.
- ↑ In South Korea, he was impressed by one of his favorite artists works….Frank Frazetta’s “Death Dealer” on a big billboard facing North Korea.
- ↑ DRB’s DA Form 2-1, Section I (Identification Data), Item 5 (Oversea Service) indicate stationing in Japan from January 12, 1968 to January 11, 1970.
- ↑ See Taoism and specifically to ‘Featured Concept: Wu wei’ for explanation of “Right is easy and easy is right” philosophy.
- ↑ Clifford T. Springer, President and CEO, Benjamin Art Gallery, Hagerstown, MD,
- ↑ Grace, Michael. Husband of Dr. Karen Harkaway.
- ↑ Harkaway, Dr. Karen, President of the American Bonsai Association and dermatologist.
- ↑ Tresselt, John (Fred). Third generation owner/employee of Hunting Creek Fisheries, 6916 Black Mill Road, Thurmont, Maryland.
External links
- Dennis Ray Blalock at Find a GraveLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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