Telling his story through art
JC Barnett III uses painting to teach, build relationships, connect with his family
JC Barnett III sees art in everything. The swish of a basketball as it hits nothing but net. The strokes of a paintbrush on canvas. The eagerness of his children to learn. Art has been with him his entire life. He had no idea, however, how much his art would grow during a pandemic.
JC Barnett III puts the finishing touches on his portrait of Sidney Poitier
“I’ve always had a great appreciation for art; and not just what people think of as traditional art, like paint on a canvas,” said Barnett. “Music as well; I taught myself how to play guitar. There is an artistry there I love and appreciate. There is art in the mechanics of shooting a basketball. That word, art, drives me to want to be great at whatever I pursue.”
Barnett first was recognized as a two-sport, standout athlete at Kokomo High School. The skills he learned on the court led him to start a basketball school to teach the art of the jump-shot. Now he is recognized for his painting. His abstracts and portraiture are on display on social media and have received glowing reviews. But what people don’t see is the effort it took in both fields to find success.
Barnett is a self-taught artist. Over the past dozen years, he has studied the work of others, read books on technique, watched videos of artists at work and imitated their movements until his own vision and skill emerged. What people see from him today is the result of long hours of study and practice – the keys to success in anything one might pursue.
It is the same approach Barnett took with basketball and football as a young man. And it is the same approach he uses with his family and the young people he teaches. Putting in the time and effort makes all the difference.
“It surprised a lot of people the level of skill in my artwork, but that has come from years of practice,” said Barnett. “Nobody saw me put in that work, but now I’m reaping the benefits of all that time and practice.
“More than anything, I would love more opportunities to teach young people the skills and knowledge I have accumulated. Not only that, I want to develop relationships with young people to give them the understanding that they can do anything they set their minds to. They can develop skills in their lives if they have the drive to pursue it.”
Barnett’s day job isn’t his artwork, though he would love to be able to support his family with painting or basketball. He is a financial aid counselor for Indiana University Kokomo, his alma mater. Like most careers, it takes a significant amount of time. But when the pandemic hit last year, he suddenly found himself with some extra time to spend. He used it to reach out to others on social media.
“I was asking deeper questions of people and examining how people operate in the way that they do,” said Barnett. “There were some difficult subjects I tackled in the summer of 2020. I decided I wanted to have a conversation on social media with the time I had on my hands.”
Those conversations helped Barnett fine-tune his own beliefs, and they ended up reshaping his art. Familiar faces from Kokomo, people who had influenced him, became his focus. And as he invested more in people, they started appearing on his canvases – especially historic figures.
“I ended up digging into African-American historical figures; people that I appreciate throughout American history,” said Barnett. “And I wanted to tell their story.”
When Barnett posts his latest portrait, a bit of the subject’s history is posted alongside it. He loves the opportunity to share his admiration for these people through art. But there is something more. As he researches these historical figures, he looks for the things that made them successful, different, special.
It turns out, those things are rather familiar.
“The world recognized George Washington Carver as this amazing botanist and scientist who taught his people how to develop the land and sustain themselves,” said Barnett. “But what was inside of him that caused him to want to do those things?
“He was very mild-mannered. Although he was a magnificent individual, he was very humble person who had a love for people. The character he had and his care for others and his faith allowed him to use the gifts that he had.”
That simple template – humility, love and caring, faith – is something that Barnett strives to apply in his own life. And because he does, he now sees those traits in his four children. He is passing along his love for art and so much more.
“It is interesting to see the way they show love to me, and now I can recognize it,” said Barnett. “I see it through basketball training and through art; they are picking up on those things. They are always asking me to make a trip to Hobby Lobby. They are always asking me to give a basketball lesson.
JC Barnett IV, following in dad’s footsteps, shows off one of his more recent works
“My house is filled with 8x10 canvases and all of these doodles my son has done. They want to watch what I do and invest in me. I get the opportunity to teach them without actually ‘teaching’ them. It feels so good.”
Barnett has been given a pair of opportunities to display his art to the local community. Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and Indiana University Kokomo (IUK) – through Alpha Kappa Alpha – both will give the artist a platform to show off his work as part of their Martin Luther King Jr. Day programs.
Barnett’s artwork will be on display virtually as part of IWU’s ninth annual MLK celebration on Fri., Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. The online-only event can be viewed at indwes.edu/mlk. It also will be featured as part of IUK’s Martin Luther King Appreciation Day on Tue., Jan. 18, in the Kelley Student Center.