Nationally known artist, Joe Pinckney, of South Carolina has died. See "Former Gullah artist dies of kidney failure" at
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_news/story/5355644p-4847450c.html
Nationally known Jehovah's Witness artist dies
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blondie
Former Gullah artist dies of kidney failure Published Fri, Nov 25, 2005
By GINNY SKALSKI
The Island Packet Comments (0) HILTON HEAD ISLAND -- Joe Pinckney, a former local artist who is known nationally for his paintings chronicling Gullah culture, died Tuesday night as a result of kidney failure, according to his daughter. He was 75.Pinckney lived on Hilton Head Island with his wife, Alice, for more than 30 years. He spent hours in his studio painting and sketching pictures, many of which captured the essence of the Gullah lifestyle.
He moved into the Rock Hill Health Center in the spring because of declining health related mostly to diabetes, according to his daughter Ellice Lewis, who lives in Rock Hill.
"He was really tired of depending on other people because he's a very proud man, and he doesn't like people doing stuff for him," Lewis said Wednesday. "He got tired of not being able to do things for himself."
Pinckney has taught art at public and private schools on Hilton Head and offered private lessons out of his studio. Lewis said her father's lessons weren't expensive because he wanted to reach people who had a passion for the arts.
"He really wanted to enlighten someone who was thirsty for knowledge of his type of art," she said, "and he showed them how to cultivate their kind also."
Pinckney was born in New York City. His father was an air warden in the Bronx during World War II, and there was concern the city would be attacked. So when he was 10, his family sought a safer place to live and moved to Daufuskie Island, where his grandmother called home.
Pinckney's family returned to New York City after living in the Gullah community for several years. He finished high school in New York and won two scholarships, allowing him to study at the New York School of Industrial Art and the Manhattan School of Printing.
In 1970, Pinckney returned to the Lowcountry and painted his first Gullah piece seven years later. Nicknamed by some the "Norman Rockwell of the Lowcountry," Pinckney has said he became interested in the subject when he heard native islanders described as cut off from the mainland culture.
"I really got interested because I heard the blacks were isolated," Pinckney said in a 2000 interview. "They were isolated (geographically), but in reality they weren't isolated. They had a greater independence because they were farmers."
Former Penn Center director Emory Campbell said he met Pinckney in the early 1970s, shortly after the artist moved here from New York. Campbell said he assisted Pinckney in getting his art studio going and enjoyed the stories his art told.
"I think it was an extraordinary kind of art, because Joe did such a great job in portraying the Gullah culture and all of the traditions of the Gullah culture," Campbell said.
In addition to Lewis, Pinckney is survived by his wife.
A memorial service for Pinckney will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 3 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses in Bluffton. Parker Funeral Home in Rock Hill is coordinating the funeral arrangements.
Colin Stewart contributed to this story. Contact Ginny Skalski at 706-8144 or [email protected].
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johnny cip
the rock hill cong. in s.c. isn't that the cong that let the jw father molest his 13 year old daughter, then when he killed all his family . the ROCK HILL CONG OF JEHOVAH WITNESSES. DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A FUNERAL FOR THE JW FAMILY. AND SOME BAPTIST CHURCH IN TOWN RAISED FUNDS FOR THE FUNERAL AND GAVE THEM A SERVICE AND BURIAL... guess those jw's in rock hill are HYPOCRITES.
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johnny cip
the rock hill cong. in s.c. isn't that the cong that let the jw father molest his 13 year old daughter, then when he killed all his family . the ROCK HILL CONG OF JEHOVAH WITNESSES. DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A FUNERAL FOR THE JW FAMILY. AND SOME BAPTIST CHURCH IN TOWN RAISED FUNDS FOR THE FUNERAL AND GAVE THEM A SERVICE AND BURIAL... guess those jw's in rock hill are HYPOCRITES.
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