AMERICAN ARTIST JOSEPH DAWLEY 1936-2008, “FLORAL ABSTRACTED” 11” x 16”

AMERICAN MASTER JOSEPH DAWLEY “Floral Abstracted” measuring 11” x 14” LAST SERIES.….. Biography: Joseph William Dawley (1936-2008) was born in Nashville, Arkansas and raised in Dallas, Texas. He received his B.A. from SMU where some of his art hangs today. He married and moved to NJ working for the Newark Evening News retouching photos and sidelining as a political cartoonist. He spent time studying at the Art Students League in NYC and in 1968 he decided to devote all his time to painting. Realism was his first love but at 39, Dawley developed a tremor in his right hand. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and in early 1980’s a surgical procedure left him without the fine motor control he needed to continue in his realistic style. Dawley then taught himself impressionism. Unwittingly, his tremor became a tool. He continued to paint abstracts and although towards the end of his life he was not always able to speak or walk, he seemed always able to paint. Dawley died in 2008 from Parkinson's Disease. Story: Peter Colasante represented Joe Dawley for many years, and was with him when he had the idea for a large painting of Georgetown. In 1990, Peter accompanied Joe to the Kennedy Center where Joe was to receive the ‘VSA*’ lifetime achievement award. That evening they looked at the view from the roof of the Kennedy Center; a view which became the painting “June sunset over the Potomac” (1991). Joe made limited edition prints and Peter suggested they present the first copy of the print to President Elect Bill Clinton, who was a graduate of Georgetown University. President Clinton was so enamored of this gift, he requested Dawley lend the original work to the White House, which he did. The painting then hung in Clinton’s private dining room in the White House for both terms. * VSA, (formerly Very Special Arts) is an organization for arts, education and disability, founded in 1974 by former U.S. Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. In 2011, VSA became the Department of Accessibility at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts