About John O'Keefe Jr.

Hello, My name is John O'Keefe Jr. I was born and raised in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, where I raised my family with my wife, Jennifer. While I am comfortable working in most mediums, I specialize in landscape oil painting, similar to the famous Hudson River School and Victorian-era artists. ART IN MY EARLY LIFE Like every other artist, I have loved viewing and creating art for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always drew with pencils, colored pencils, watercolors, and just about every medium I could get my hands on. I received formal art training during my primary school years. When attending elementary school, I received specialized training at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, Connecticut. The first formal recognition of my artistic ability happened in elementary school when I won an award, placing me in the top five of a statewide student art competition. During my middle school years, I was invited to attend college-level art classes one day a week at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Also, during this time, I studied watercolor painting with Connecticut artist Kathy Singer. However, my most beloved art teacher was my Aunt Ann Fucich, who instilled in me a love of art when I was a small child. John O'Keefe 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 (NYC) at 7 Years Old. (My Aunt Ann Fucich took pictures) My love for art led me to seek a career in mechanical drafting. As new technologies emerged, I advanced to more sophisticated 3D CAD modeling systems, new product development, and, eventually, project management. Throughout the years, I completed many university courses and job-specific training to advance my mechanical design/engineering career. Even though my work was very technical, an artistic element was involved in designing new products and the associated documentation processes. My love for creating art did not stop at drawing and painting. As a teenager, I started pursuing musical skills. My first love is the guitar, and I ran a small recording studio out of my home for a time while also playing guitar in a few bands. The computer soon became another outlet for creating art. With my computer skills and 3D modeling experience, I began to develop a sophisticated DC-9-41 add-on cockpit package for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The project focused on the Scandinavian Airline Service (SAS) DC-9 airplane OY-KGR. There was extensive programming and many computer-generated renderings and image files assembled in real-time when the game was running, giving the person playing the experience of sitting in a real DC-9 cockpit. A RENEWED LOVE OF ART In 2007 my wife, Jennifer, rekindled my zeal for drawing and painting. Her encouragement and support motivated me to create O'Keefe Arts and take up oil painting as a professional artist. Jennifer also enjoys creating art, and we are working together to promote the business and my paintings because of our shared love of art. I sell original works, accept commission work to create custom landscape paintings, and offer a variety of high-quality pigment prints, i.e., Giclee, reproductions of my artwork. (Websites: www.okeefe-arts.com and www.johnokeefe.net) John and Jennifer O'Keefe outside of the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York, when he was thirty-seven years old Outside the Museum of Natural History (NYC) at 37 Years Old. My paintings have been well received in the art community, allowing my works to be displayed in prestigious exhibitions and art shows. In my home state of Connecticut, the Lyme Art Gallery, Mystic Arts Center, Cate Charles Gallery, and the Mill House Gallery have exhibited my artwork. My paintings have won awards, and I have been a featured artist in a group exhibition at the Lyme Art Association's "17th Annual Associate Artists Exhibit". In April of 2009, I was elected onto the board of directors of the Cheshire Art League in Cheshire, Connecticut, and I created and managed the league's website until the fall of 2011. Organizations that I belong to are Oil Painters of America, Lyme Art Association, The Salmagundi Club of New York City, Mystic Arts Association, Cheshire Art League (until 2011), and Landscape Artists International. In 2012, Jennifer and I created Painting Frames Plus, where people can purchase high-quality reproduction painting frames. (Website: www.paintingframesplus.com)

Group Exhibition by Cate Charles Gallery (2009)

Posted on January 31, 2009 by John O'Keefe Jr.

Cate Charles Gallery - View through windows — **Cate Charles Gallery**

My first private gallery show was a Group Exhibition by Cate Charles Gallery in Stonington, Connecticut. In late 2008 I contacted the owner, Kimberly Charles, about showing my paintings in her Gallery. She had me bring down my collection for a short meeting and interview. She liked my work and said she would be pleased to include me in one of her upcoming group exhibits.

Group Exhibition – Opening Reception (12-5-2008)

Kimberly related the positive feedback she has received about my work from other artists and visitors at the Gallery. She expressed that “good things are heading [my] way” and that “[my] work is unique and carries a lot of emotion and feeling.” Very encouraging words!

Cate Charles Gallery, Kimberly Charles and John O'Keefe Jr. — **Kimberly Charles and John O’Keefe Jr.**

Kimberly Charles scheduled the opening reception to coincide with a popular Stonington event, First Fridays. First Fridays is an event started by the local shops running along the main street in town. On the First Friday of each month, the shops remain open late into the evening. On this night, December 5th, 2008, so many people attended that it was difficult to walk around at times. There was a constant stream of people visiting the Gallery to view the exhibit.

*“Old Olive Tree Path”* by John O’Keefe Jr.

Cate Charles Gallery, Jennifer and John O'Keefe Jr. — **Jennifer and John O’Keefe Jr.**

Cate Charles Gallery, Joshua, Danielle and John O'Keefe Jr. — **Joshua, John O’Keefe Jr., and Danielle**

Cate Charles Gallery, Opening Recption, Quests — **Opening Reception**

First Fridays in Stonington, Connecticut – Walking the Town

First Fridays is an event that is supported by most of the local Stonington businesses on the First Friday of each month. All participating shops remain open late into the evening, and as you can see in the below pictures, they draw quite a crowd. At one point we estimated about a thousand people were walking the streets and the police had to restrict vehicle traffic because of the large groups.

First Fridays in Stonington, Connecticut, Street View #1

First Fridays, Stonington, Connecticut, Street View 1

First Fridays, Stonington, Connecticut, Street View 2

First Fridays, Stonington, Connecticut, Street View 1, Band '28 Stringds'

First Fridays in Stonington, Connecticut – Artist Russ Kramer

My family took some time to walk through town and visit a few shops participating in First Fridays. We found a narrow alley with a sign indicating that more shops were at the other end.

First Fridays in Stonington, Connecticut, Russ Kramer Gallery

When we came to the end of the alley, we found the gallery and studio of Russ Kramer. WOW!!! Russ paints incredible maritime scenes. We talked about our transitions from secular work to full-time painting – Russ made the transition in 2002, and I more recently in 2007. We discussed offering high-quality reproductions, and I was encouraged about my efforts in this area after hearing Russ relate some of his experiences with the proofing process and working closely with a reproduction supplier. It was lovely meeting such an accomplished artist.

First Fridays, Stonington, Connecticut, Russ Kramer Gallery — **John O’Keefe Jr. and Russ Kramer**

Russ Kramer is one of the leading maritime artists of our time.
(Behind Russ and I, to the left is one of Russ’s recent paintings)

Learn more about Russ Kramer at: www.russkramer.com

Update – Sold ‘River Through the Adirondacks’

I am pleased to announce that I sold my first larger painting, ‘River Through the Adirondacks.’ While I was sad to see it go, I was thrilled to have one of my larger pieces hanging in someone’s home. This Group Exhibition by Cate Charles Gallery was another great experience.

Jennifer O’Keefe’s Warm Use of Color in Oils (2008)

Posted on December 31, 2008 by John O'Keefe Jr.

Jennifer took up oil painting with her husband, John, in the year 2008. One notable feature in her paintings is her close attention to the smallest details. Jennifer O’Keefe’s warm use of color in oils is very reminiscent of the fall season, very warm and inviting. In addition to oil painting, Jennifer enjoys pastels and colored pencil mediums, not to mention her love of knitting, looming, jewelry making, photography, interior decorating and so on. When it comes to personal pursuits and hobbies, when your not being chased after by a barrage of daily responsibilities, why limit yourself?

Jennifer O’Keefe’s Warm Use of Color – 2008 Oil Paintings

Peaceful Pond, Warm Use of Color, Oil on Board, 8x10, Jennifer O'Keefe, 2008 — ***“Peaceful Pond”***
Oil on Board, 8×10,
Jennifer O’Keefe,
2008

Palm Tree, Warm Use of Color, Oil on Board, 7x5, Jennifer O'Keefe, 2008 — ***“Palm Tree”***
Oil on Board, 7×5,
Jennifer O’Keefe,
2008

The Hummingbird, Oil on Board, 10x8, Jennifer O'Keefe, 2008 — ***“The Hummingbird”***
Oil on Board, 10×8,
Jennifer O’Keefe,
2008,
(Study from Time Magazine article)

“The Hummingbird” painting highlights a favorite theme for Jennifer. She has hummingbird decorations all throughout her home and in her garden. They are colorful, delicate and graceful creatures that can mesmerize a person. Her garden occasionally receives one of these visitors looking for nectar.

I hope you enjoyed looking at these paintings and Jennifer O’Keefe’s warm use of color in oils. Also, please check out Jennifer’s award winning photograph “Old Fashion Winter”.

Tutorial “Big Cork Tree” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Posted on December 31, 2008 by John O'Keefe Jr.

This is my 18th oil painting. I hope you enjoy my tutorial “Big Cork Tree” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Composition and Materials – “Big Cork Tree”

Painting tutorial for 'Big Cork Tree' by John O'Keefe - Reference Victorian engraving

I wanted to compose the scene to fit into an oval-style frame, work on my technique for trees, and improve my use of shadows, with the tree being the center of interest. After finding an engraving of a cork tree, I sketched a rough outline of the frame opening and drew the tree on a sloped hill inside. Also, in the distance would be a vast plain, and distant mountains would make up the horizon.

Support: Pre-Stretched & Mounted Medium Textured Cotton Canvas (Acrylic Primed)
Size: 8 x 10 inch
Medium: Winsor & Newton ‘Artist Oils’ Professional Grade Oil Paints
(Ivory Black, Titanium White, French Ultramarine Blue, Sap Green, Naples Yellow, Raw Sienna, and Raw Umber)
Finish: Winsor & Newton Dammar varnish

Step-By-Step Tutorial – “Big Cork Tree”

Day 1 / Hour 1

Here is the initial sketch for the painting.

Day 1 / Hour 4

Sky and clouds were added first from a photograph taken by my wife, Jennifer. I blocked in the land features: A sloped hill, a vast plain, and distant mountains.

Day 1 / Hour 5

While the foreground paint was still wet, I began to add details to the land features. I laid in a rough outline of the tree shadow.

Day 1 / Hour 6

More details are added to the fields. I wanted a second area of interest on the plains, and you can make out a group of trees on the middle right.

Day 2 / Hour 7

After a few days of drying, I was ready to begin adding the tree. I usually wait for the paint to dry a little before adding my main features, in this case, the cork tree. After a bit of time went by, I added the trunk and some branches. I used a very dark base at this point because I plan to add my highlights later. Also, I added some highlights to the foreground, bringing out some small plants and grasses. The group of trees on the plain is detailed and shadowed.

Day 2 / Hour 8

I painted the outline of the cork tree. (Note: I painted the entire sky beforehand because I wanted to try and make this tree without having to go back and add light holes later.)

Day 2 / Hour 9

Carefully following the reference engraving of the cork tree, I started blocking the bulk of the tree leaves. I used a dark green for this because I intend to build up the tree in layers from farthest to closest. I will add the highlights as a final layer.

Day 2 / Hour 10

Once I had the leaves blocked in, I painted the branches and was careful to taper them as they extended toward the outer part of the tree. Near the outside area, they disappear.

Day 3 / Hour 12

I added my first layer of highlights using a brighter green to capture the sun’s rays on the leaves. Also, I added more highlights to the foreground to improve the balance between the tree and the grassy hill. The shadow under the tree also takes on a better definition.

Day 3 / Hour 12

As a last layer on the tree, I added some darker areas. Subsequently, I felt the tree top continued to be too bright. I passed over the hill to highlight the grasses and tree shadows further.

Day 4 / Hour 15

Now for the final touches. First, I added more shadow to the tree leaves to give a greater sense of light coming straight down from the top. Then the leaves on the underside are shadowed for better effect. Lastly, I added a highlight across the hill.

Finished Painting – “Big Cork Tree”

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial “Big Cork Tree” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Tutorial “Summer in the Valley” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Posted on December 31, 2008 by John O'Keefe Jr.

This is my 17th oil painting. I like the effect in my painting “Just Passing Through,” where the path leads the viewer out of the painting and into the mysterious darkness of the forest, and I want to achieve a similar sense of mystery in this painting. I hope you enjoy this tutorial “Summer in the Valley” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Composition and Materials – “Summer in the Valley”

Painting tutorial for 'Summer on the Valley' by John O'Keefe - reference painting 'The White Mountains' by John Kensett — *“The White Mountains”* by John Kensett

I love “The White Mountains – Mount Washington” by John F. Kensett. I have been attempting to incorporate his color pallet into my recent study paintings. Also, one night when I was looking through some art books, I came across another painting that caught my attention: A landscape painting with a similar composition to Kensett’s painting but with a different approach to color use. The latter painting is entitled “July Fields” by Barbara Nuss, published in the book “14 Formulas for Painting Fabulous Landscapes” by Barbara Nuss.

Painting tutorial for 'Summer on the Valley' by John O'Keefe - reference painting 'July Fields' by Barbara Nuss — *“July Fields”* by Barbara Nuss

Both of the above landscape paintings are beautiful and have inspired me to try some new things in this painting. I began by sketching the composition onto the canvas. You can see similar elements in my composition from the two reference paintings.

I wanted a vast sky with a lot of blue peeking through thick but bright-tipped clouds. To help achieve this, I have placed several large trees that extend above the horizon, and I want them to stand out against the sky with sharp contrast. My wife Jennifer took the perfect sky picture for this painting which I digitally edited into my reference sketch.

Painting tutorial for 'Summer on the Valley' by John O'Keefe - Reference composition sketch — Composition sketch by John O’Keefe Jr.

Painting tutorial for 'Summer on the Valley' by John O'Keefe - reference composition sketch with cloud photo overlay by Jennifer O'Keefe — Cloud photograph by Jennifer O’Keefe
(Digitally overlaid onto sketch)

Support: Pre-Stretched & Mounted Medium Textured Cotton Canvas (Acrylic Primed)
Size: 8 x 10 inch
Medium: Winsor & Newton Artist Oils Professional Grade Oil Paints
(Ivory Black, Titanium White, Corelian Blue, Sap Green, Naples Yellow, Raw Sienna, and Raw Umber)
Finish: Winsor & Newton Dammar varnish.

Step-By-Step Tutorial – “Summer in the Valley”

Day 1 / Hour 3

I always begin my paintings by laying down the sky. I blocked in the blue and clouds in this first image rather roughly.

Day 1 / Hour 6

At this point, I returned to the painting to adjust the sky. I refined the clouds, making them more detailed and distinct by adding darker areas to their underside.

Day 2 / Hour 9

I added white highlights to the clouds, finishing them off. Next, I started with the horizon and distant land features. Notice that I did not paint where my big trees were going.

Day 2 / Hour 12

I focused on just midlands and fields, again painting around the areas reserved for my big trees and closeup details. On the left side, I painted foliage right down to the house; I will change this in future sessions.

Day 3 / Hour 15

Big day! First, I expanded the field directly in front of the house, opening that area more. The house does not feel so hidden behind the trees and shrubs anymore. Also, the road now follows an “S” shape from the foreground to the house. Next, I began to lay down some of the foreground details. The fields and road are detailed, and I added the big trees on the right and left. I slightly adjusted the original composition to the tree arrangement on the right and added a thick bushy tree to the far right that appears slightly in front of the two taller trees reaching the sky.

Day 3 / Hour 16

Today I focused on the group of trees to the right. I added the leaves to the two taller trees while also painting the light patterns on the tree trunks. I added highlights to the bushy tree on the far right, and the road received detail.

Day 3 / Hour 17

Composition Change! I decided to add a huge, close tree on the right with branches that extended out and overhung the left side of the painting. Notice that, at this point, I only painted the trunk itself. I did begin to paint in the shadows from all these trees on the right side, noticing the ground underneath the trees.

Day 4 / Hour 18

Today came more work on the new big tree. Trunk highlights were added to reflect sunlight. The sun’s position in this painting is directly overhead, so the shadows are cast straight down. I added more green color to the field and toned down the road and shadows on the left.

Day 4 / Hour 20

The road needed more earthy tones added, and I started the shadows to the big tree on the right. The effect I was after is when the sun breaks through the tree leaves, making a patchwork of light and shadow on the ground. Leaves were added to the big tree. Because the big tree is so close to the viewer, I took more time to paint the leave in detail. I tried to capture the shape of the leaves rather than adding small dabs of paint as I did on the trees farther away.

Day 4 / Hour 22

The field on the left side had too much shadow for the trees in that area, so I brought the sun across the field and off the canvas to the left. I also extend the patchwork of sun and shadow from the big tree across the bottom of the painting. Notice that I also darkened the shadow of the big tree, making more contrast while shading the leaves on the underside of the tree. A small detail was the tire (or wagon) tracks on the dirt road.

Day 5 / Hour 23

I added some details to the front left of the painting, A shrub, fence, and small flowers. I also kept manipulating the big tree’s patchy light and shadow area. The field in front of the house also received a bit more green.

Day 5 / Hour 24

The composition (concerning the big tree) led the view off the canvas with the branch on the upper left. Adding some leaves to this bare branch broke up the area helping to keep the viewer’s eye from being led off the canvas. Highlights were added to the dirt road, contrasting light and shadow under the big tree.

Day 6 / Hour 26

I roughed up the fields to add some texture, giving more of a sense of grasses and weeds and not just a solid block of green. I add the final highlights to the road and shadow under the big tree to finish the painting.

Finished Painting – “Summer in the Valley”

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial “Summer in the Valley” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Tutorial “Lilac Pond” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Posted on December 31, 2008 by John O'Keefe Jr.

This is my 14th painting. Please enjoy my tutorial “Lilac Pond” by John O’Keefe Jr.

Composition and Materials – “Lilac Pond”

Painting tutorial for 'Lilac Pond' by John O'Keefe - Reference material, clouds by Jennifer O'Keefe

Jennifer and I took a road trip to capture some beautiful park scenes in the Wallingford area. We took this picture near our home at one of the town’s protected areas in the Open Space Project. This was the perfect backdrop for the next painting.

Painting tutorial for 'Lilac Pond' by John O'Keefe - Reference Victorian engraving overlaid with cloud photo

I wanted a large tree off to one side of the painting, a common element in many Hudson River School paintings. Not satisfied with any of the photographed trees from our road trip, I turned to the Internet for reference material. While searching, I came across a beautiful set of trees in an old Victorian engraving. Using digital image editing software (Adobe Photodeluxe), I removed unwanted areas from the engraving image and merged the two images into this composite.

Support: Stretched Fine Linen (Oil Primed)
Size: 16 x 20 inch
Medium: Winsor & Newton Artist Oils Professional Grade Oil Paints
(Ivory Black, Titanium White, Corelian Blue, Sap Green, Naples Yellow, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, and Vandyke Brown)
Finish: Winsor & Newton Dammar varnish

Step-By-Step Tutorial – “Lilac Pond”

Days 1-3

I drew a pencil grid pattern onto my canvas that matched a corresponding grid on my reference photo. Thus, I could reasonably position elements from the photograph to the painting. You can make out the reference lines in the image. As always, I started painting the farthest objects in the scene, the clouds.

Days 4 & 5

I had started to lay out the mid-line trees. At this point, I realized I was displeased with the original composition. I wanted to keep the big trees from the engraving but not the others.

Day 6

I finished laying out the mid-line trees. I was still unable to decide what to put on the right side of the painting. My idea of a field and farmhouse did not feel right anymore. Now I wanted water, a pond in place of the field. I also thought of adding birds, a tight closeup of Hummingbirds sitting on a branch and admiring the area they call home.

Day 6 (Digital Edits)

Lilac Pond by John O'Keefe - Day 6 composition edits

Using Adobe Photodeluxe, I worked out my new ideas on the computer and produced this new digital composition. You can see that I cut back more of the engraving features from the right side, exposing the pond. The two Hummingbirds would look well placed to the right.

Day 7

Now came the big trees on the left. I blocked in the large boulder and dirt ground. I was not entirely pleased with my pond because it did not have the glassy surface feel I achieved in the digital composition. However, I was content enough to move on.

Day 8

It had been about three weeks since I had last worked on the painting, and I again decided to make composition changes. This time I wanted Lilac bushes in the foreground and not the birds. I searched the Internet for photographs of Lilac bushes that fit nicely into my painting. In this snapshot, I completed painting the shrubs in the middle and started blocking in the purples that will become the remaining Lilac bushes on either side.

Day 9

More detail was added to the Lilac bushes on the left and right sides. I also added more highlights to the Lilacs in the middle.

Day 10

Just about done. I added the leaves to the Lilac bushes. I took great care to get the shadows right, but my wife said something interesting. She thought the light green trees on the right side (behind the row of trees along the pond shore) were a tree overhanging the pond and not distant hills as I intended.

Day 11

I decided that a few minor touch-ups would be good. I agreed with her assessment, removed the light green line along the far pond shore, and increased the contrast between the mid-line trees and the distant hill on the far right.

Finished Painting – “Lilac Pond”

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial “Lilac Pond” by John O’Keefe Jr.