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1980's
The Early Years (Art during Middle School and High School)


MIDDLE SCHOOL ART CLASSES

Throughout middle school I absorbed every art class. The exercises were beneficial and taught me new ways to express myself through art. My artwork greatly improved after attending those classes. I started developing a reputation in school for my drawing ability.


John O'Keefe's middle school ceramic sculpture of King Tut's sarcofacas, created when he was eleven years old

John O'Keefe's middle school ceramic sculpture of King Tut's sarcofacas (view 2), created when he was eleven years old
Ceramic
1981 (11 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing study of his hand, created when he was eleven to thirteen years old
Pencil
1981-83 (11-13 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing study of cardboard tubes, created when he was eleven to thirteen years old
Pencil
1981-83 (11-13 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's abstract pencil drawing study, created when he was eleven to thirteen years old
Pencil
1981-83 (11-13 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's landscape watercolor study, created when he was eleven to thirteen years old
Watercolor
1981-83 (11-13 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pastel study of a samuri warrior, created when he was thirteen years old
Pastel
1983 (13 years old)


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing study of brown paper bags, created when he was fourteen years old
Pencil
1985 (14 Years Old)



ART PROJECTS TURNED REALITY


John O'Keefe's pen & ink drawing of a fantasy tree castle, created when he was thirteen years old
Pen & Ink
1984 (13 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pen & ink drawing of a tree fort, created when he was thirteen years old
Pen & Ink
1984 (13 Years Old)


I took my love of model building and decided to build a real tree fort. When it was completed the structure spanned 3 trees and it had three stories in the middle section. It had a prison, a draw-bridge, 6 rooms, and a lookout platform 20 feet up. We built a pulley-system to transport supplies from one section to another section. All the materials were scavenged from the local dump. We scoured the area for plywood, lumber, rope, and even nails. It was quite a project. It took the neighborhood gang a few years to complete. There was probably about a dozen kids from the neighborhood who helped build this monster. No adults were involved - This was 100% kid built! In the end, my mother's home-owners insurance company said that the tree fort must come down or they would cancel her policy. That was a sad day for all the kids who helped build it. Below are the only surviving pictures of the tree fort of all tree forts (and it was only about half built in these pictures).


John O'Keefe's childhood tree fort and kids from the neighborhood
My brother (far left) and some of the
neighborhood gang standing on the draw-bridge

John O'Keefe's childhood mega tree fort     John O'Keefe's childhood mega tree fort (view 2)



MORE ART PROJECTS TURNED REALITY


A constant theme during my middle school years was that my drawings reflected my other interests. Around this time I had an interest in BMX bikes and freestyle riding which you can see reflected in these next drawings.


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing of a skate board trick, created when he was fourteen years old
Pencil
1984 (14 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing of a freestyle bike trick on a quarter-pipe, created when he was fourteen years old
Pencil
1984 (14 Years Old)



HIGH SCHOOL ART CLASSES


In high school my love of drawing was rekindled. I benefited greatly from the more advanced instruction given in the high school art program, and this can be seen in these next examples.


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing study of an antique fishing reel, created when he was fifteen years old
Pencil
1985 (15 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing study of an old model-a car, created when he was fifteen years old
Pencil
1985-86 (15 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pen & ink study of an old smashed up car, created when he was fifteen years old
Pen & Ink
1985-86 (15 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's watercolor study of a prairie chicken, created when he was sixteen years old
Watercolor
1986 (16 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pen & ink study of a run down house, created when he was seventeen years old
Pen & Ink
1987 (17 Years Old)


John O'Keefe's pencil drawing study of an old sailing ship deck scene, created when he was eightteen years old
Pencil
1988 (18 Years Old)




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