John
Carroll Doyle CHARLESTON - John Carroll Doyle, 71, noted artist,
photographer, and writer (including this obituary) ended his journey on
this earth Wednesday, November 12, 2014. John was born and raised in
Charleston, and was often heard to say that our city was perfect for an
artist with its "golden light and long lavender shadows." John started
drawing at the age of four on the margins of Sunday church programs.
This became a lifetime artistic, as well as spiritual quest, that took
him through alcohol and drug addiction, being physically and sexually
abused, bouts with anxiety and depression, along with rehabilitation
through Love. John grew up on his beloved Trumbo Street near Colonial
Lake. To his young eyes, the lake was an ocean where gleaming silver
fish jumped and model boats sailed on wondrous voyages. These model
boats and leaping fish were the seed for John's later paintings of
majestic billfish and vintage fishing boats. In the summer months when
the dreaded school year ended (John said because of his difficulty
reading he hated school), he, with his buddies Jay Keenan and Johnny
Almeida, would venture to some of Charleston's wonders. These included
the old City Yacht Basin beckoning with its polished wooden boats, The
Charleston Museum (then on Rutledge Avenue) with displays of skeletons
and taxidermy including a colossal Polar Bear, and the old Public
Library located on Rutledge Avenue at the corner of Montagu Street. At
the library there was a wonderful lady who read to children sitting on
the floor around her as she voiced stories of long ago with a repertoire
of emotions. And of course King Street, with its Five and Dime stores,
artistic neon signs, and luxurious movie theaters that held the magic of
a miniature Times Square. Due to his painful experience in school, John
would later challenge the idea of dyslexia as a dysfunction. As a young
student he saw the printed page in the same way he composed a painting
or designed an interior with furniture. He saw the painting or room as a
completed whole and the printed page was no different-he saw the first
and last words at the same time. School was a daily torture and became
the primary root of his substance addiction. It wasn't that he didn't
see enough, he saw everything. He used alcohol as "novocaine" to deaden
his anxiety and depression for twenty five years until he surrendered
and began following the teachings of the 12 Steps. With sobriety, John
became known in the 1980's for his paintings in institutions such as
Porgy's, 82 Queen, Plums, Carolina's, Tommy Condon's, A.W. Shucks,
Angelfish, and Sermet's, as well as works in Chicago, Alexandria, VA and
various buildings throughout South Carolina. He also painted covers for
several magazines including Marlin, Saltwater Sportsman, Sporting
Classics, Plantation Polo, and Gamefish located in Paris. His last
magazine cover was the Fall 2014 edition of the nationally distributed
Charleston Style & Design magazine. John served two years aboard the
Coast Guard Buoy Tender Smilax. Later in his life, after he became a
renowned artist, he was honored to meet the Commandant of the Coast
Guard. John was also a walk-on defensive end at Presbyterian College,
serving on the Scout Team. John wrote an autobiography about being
raised in Charleston speaking for the generation of the 50's and 60's.
Among many accolades, John received the Order of the Palmetto from
Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. in 1994. He was listed among
Charleston's notables in the recent book "Legendary Locals." John was an
accomplished photographer, publishing two volumes of black and white
photos in praise of women. For three years he built wooden boats with
the help of his friend Whitmarsh Smith. John volunteered to be a subject
in an MUSC study on agoraphobia; the fear of crowds. His "fear" of
crowds never went away because he later learned that he was just an
introvert. From then on, he championed the cause of introverts saying
that they were not at all shy, but would charge their batteries while
alone rather than having them drained amongst crowds. John consistently
donated paintings to numerous charities such as the Center for Birds of
Prey, the American Heart Association Heart Ball, Darkness to Light, Pet
Helpers, and the Charleston Symphony. John never married, but he would
say that he had over 900 children in the form of the paintings he left
behind, hoping to make this world a better place than when he first
arrived on Trumbo Street. In lieu of flowers, John's wish is that you go
out and buy something nice for yourself. Something not practical, but
something just for fun. Wherever he is, this will make him smile. A
gathering of friends will be held Tuesday, November 18 from 5:00 p.m. to
9:00 p.m. at the John Carroll Doyle Gallery, 125 Church Street. A
black-tie Celebration of Life will be announced and will occur in
mid-January. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., DOWNTOWN CHAPEL. A
memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston
Funeral Home
Charleston artist John Carroll Doyle passed away this week. I would have loved to have one of his original paintings but I this is the print I was able to afford and loved. What a sad loss. I first fell in love with his art after seeing the huge fish paintings on the wall at the old Angelfish restaurant.
He wrote his own obituary describing a full and eventful life and I loved the ending:
In
lieu of flowers, John's wish is that you go out and buy something nice
for yourself. Something not practical, but something just for fun.
Wherever he is, this will make him smile.
Life is short and precious. Let's make John Carroll Doyle smile.
In
lieu of flowers, John's wish is that you go out and buy something nice
for yourself. Something not practical, but something just for fun.
Wherever he is, this will make him smile. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston/obituary.aspx?n=john-carroll-doyle&pid=173168687&fhid=6051#sthash.74oZujQv.dpuf
In
lieu of flowers, John's wish is that you go out and buy something nice
for yourself. Something not practical, but something just for fun.
Wherever he is, this will make him smile. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston/obituary.aspx?n=john-carroll-doyle&pid=173168687&fhid=6051#sthash.74oZujQv.dpuf
In
lieu of flowers, John's wish is that you go out and buy something nice
for yourself. Something not practical, but something just for fun.
Wherever he is, this will make him smile. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston/obituary.aspx?n=john-carroll-doyle&pid=173168687&fhid=6051#sthash.74oZujQv.dpuf
In
lieu of flowers, John's wish is that you go out and buy something nice
for yourself. Something not practical, but something just for fun.
Wherever he is, this will make him smile. - See more at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charleston/obituary.aspx?n=john-carroll-doyle&pid=173168687&fhid=6051#sthash.74oZujQv.dpuf
