John S Darling

Childhood

Darling's family had settled at Dahlgren where his father was hired as a surveyor at the naval base. His mother, a very proper and cultured woman, insisted that her three children be exposed to the world, including great literature and the arts, which were especially dear to her, as the family lineage was made up of many artists. At a very young age Darling's photographic visual memory revealed itself and coupled with his creative mind, he worked on a blackboard telling stories. At church he would doodle in a bible often causing the congregation to focus on him rather than the sermon. He was an energetic, impetuous and curious child. Childhood scraps convinced his parents that Jack needed the discipline of a boys’ school, so off he was sent to Christ Church School, near Urbanna. It was an experience he savoured for the remainder of his life. He said: "At the school, I read, drew and painted, and got up before dawn to sneak out of the dorm and take a small boat we had hidden in the bushes growing out over the river. I would go crabbing and fishing, and would sell what I caught to earn my pocket money."

Formative Years

During the summers, with help from his parents and using money he earned working on the river as an extra on boat crews, or as a part-timer on the neighboring farms, Jack spent warm idyllic months studying art in Provincetown, Rhode Island. There, in the now legendary summer art schools near the ocean, he was a student of Charles W. Hawthorne, who was a student of Robert Henri, and with Henry Hensche. Nearby, another summer art enclave was taught by Hans Hofmann. There was an often told story of how he showed Hans Hofmann how to jump from the mast of sail boat earning them both a great time and a threat that they would be thrown over if they didn't stop.

At the Philadelphia college art school (Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Arts), Darling was taught by Thornton Oakley. Oakley, in turn, was taught by N. C. Wyeth (with whom Oakley was a lifelong friend). Their mutual instructor in the class was Howard Pyle.

Provincetown

In Provincetown Jack was surrounded by many prominent people, including the Kennedys, James Stewart (whose sister had fallen in love with Jack, proposing marriage, which he declined), Jackson Pollock, Hawthorne, Hoffman and others.

Jack's best friends in the Provincetown summers, and throughout his life, were William Franklin Draper and Alan Ingalls Palmer. The three remained dear friends until the end of their lives. Draper became a leading American portraitist. Palmer gained national recognition as an illustrator, landscape artist, and portraitist. Jack was godfather to Palmer's daughter Gale.

After summers in Provincetown, Jack, along with Tom, his brother who was also an artist were sent to Philadelphia so that he could attend the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art for, as he explains, "My parents were worried about me. They knew I loved to draw but could not imagine what on earth I could do to earn a living with it."

The Artist and Mentor

Jack returned to King George County, married Mary Berry, and lived at North Windsor, in a home near Owens. The house eventually became the home of the artists group North Windsor Artists of which he was co-founder. Darling started his Civil Service appointment in 1941 testing the great Naval guns instrumental in winning the Pacific battles of World War II. He also pursued painting, worked with computers in Terminal Ballistics, and ultimately worked as a technical artist for the Navy's surface War facility K Lab.

Jack painted throughout creating numerous paintings, and influencing many artists of the next generations. Early on he was known, and loved, for his watercolors documenting the life in the region, and telling stories, often related to his religious learning. He worked in oils, woodcuts, pen and ink and drawing as well. Eventually as he got older, he found oil pastels and in the last decade of his life created most of his works in that medium. He was known to always have a pocket full of 3 x 5 index cards and a pen, drawing as he told stories. In a retrospective the last year of his life, the gallery was lined with black paper to which hundreds of 3 x 5 cards were displayed.

North Windsor Artists

After Jack's wife died he was at a juncture. At this time, Jane T. Woodworth, a friend and fellow artist, had started a fledgling art school in an old garage in Dahlgren. Jack redirected his energies and his life through his association with Woodworth and the school. He soon became the "guru" of the group. Jane acted as "den mother," able organizer, and catalyst for the artists' workshops. Thus began the bond of talent and the tradition of the North Windsor Artists. Later, Jack built a sunny studio on the back of his North Windsor home. The select group of regional artists left the garage for the home studio where they met, painted and critiqued for many the decades that followed. The last member of the group was Virginia based artist, Sharon D. Ross, his great-niece, who also lived with him the last decade of his life.

Not long before he died Jack said, "It's been all about art ever since I was born. I have been drawing and thinking about art and watching light and shadows as long as I can remember. It was always art. Always art."

Darling was co-founder of North Windsor Artists, King George, Virginia; Art First Gallery in Fredericksburg, Virginia; North Windsor Gallery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is remembered as a part of American art history as well as Virginia's arts. He has been recognized by the governor of Virginia for his contributions to the arts. In August, 2014 the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center will be hosting an exhibition honoring Darling and his contribution to the arts and the area. A secondary exhibit of the North Windsor Artists will focus on his lasting influences on the arts.