Carl Blair
- November 28, 1932
- January 22, 2018
- 85 years
About Carl Blair
Carl Blair, 85, American painter and sculptor.
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Full Biography
|Carl Blair (November 28, 1932 – January 22, 2018) was an artist and, for more than forty years, a member of the art faculty at Bob Jones University.
Biography
A native of Atchison, Kansas, Blair earned a B. A. in art at the University of Kansas and a M.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute. In addition to his teaching at BJU, he also served on the art faculty at KCAI summer programs and as a member of the cooperating faculty at the Greenville County Museum of Art, where he taught evenings and summers for 25 years.
Blair exhibited his work in more than a hundred museums, art galleries and universities and won more than ninety national, state, and regional awards. His works have been purchased for more than 2500 private, corporate, and public collections. His exhibitions include the Art in Embassies Program; Ringling Museum of Art; Morris Museum, Augusta, Ga.; and the Hunter Museum, Chattanooga, Tenn.
In 1995, the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, S.C., hosted a major retrospective of his work. In 2000, a 40-year retrospective show was held at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia.
Blair referred to his style as "neither realistic nor abstract. I refer to my work as visual poetry". Although best known for his oil, gouache, and acrylic paintings, late in his career, Blair began exhibiting sculpture, especially whimsical animals crafted of plywood or spruce pine boards and accessorized with found objects such as marbles and screws. He recalled telling his BJU students to "never, never grow up and take yourself seriously".
Blair did not discover he was color-blind until he was an art student at the University of Kansas; when asked to do a self-portrait, he painted himself green. He once called his color-blindness an asset because he was "not hindered by color combinations". After a critic called a Blair exhibition dull, inane. and colorless, Blair said he was inspired to use more bright colors in his work.
Blair served as a member of the South Carolina Arts Commission for twelve years and chairman of the commission for two. In 1970, he and two other members of the Bob Jones University art faculty, Emery Bopp and Darell Koons, founded Hampton III Gallery, one of the first commercial galleries in Upstate South Carolina. After he retired from teaching, Blair became president of the gallery, doing "everything from cleaning floors to selecting and hanging art."
In 2005, Blair was awarded the Verner Award for Lifetime Achievement, the highest award given by the state of South Carolina in the arts.
In 2013, the Greenville Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) created the Carl R. Blair Award for commitment to Arts Education, an award given annually to a Greenville arts educator.
In 2016, MAC honored Blair with the exhibition "Artists Touched by Carl R. Blair", which featured the work of 55 Upstate artists who he had influenced and motivated. In the exhibition catalog, a fellow artist described Blair as "challenging, encouraging, helpful, witty, and inspirational to all his students".
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Blair
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Carl Blair's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was the artist Carl Blair born?
- A.January 22, 2018
- B.November 28, 1932correct
- C.January 22, 1932
- D.November 28, 1935
The biography states that Carl Blair was born on November 28, 1932.
Source: Biography introduction
2.Where was Carl Blair born?
- A.Atchison, Kansascorrect
- B.Chattanooga, Tennessee
- C.Greenville, South Carolina
- D.Kansas City, Missouri
Carl Blair is identified as a native of Atchison, Kansas.
Source: Biography section
3.From which institution did Carl Blair earn a M.F.A. degree?
- A.Bob Jones University
- B.University of Kansas
- C.Kansas City Art Institutecorrect
- D.Greenville County Museum of Art
Carl Blair earned his M.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute.
Source: Biography section
4.For how long did Carl Blair serve on the art faculty at Bob Jones University?
- A.Twenty-five years
- B.Forty yearscorrect
- C.Fifty years
- D.Thirty years
Carl Blair was a member of the art faculty at Bob Jones University for more than forty years.
Source: Biography introduction
5.What did Carl Blair call his own artistic style?
- A.Abstract realism
- B.Visual poetrycorrect
- C.Color-blind impressionism
- D.Whimsical expressionism
Carl Blair referred to his work as visual poetry.
Source: Biography section
6.What discovery did Carl Blair make while he was an art student at the University of Kansas?
- A.He preferred teaching over painting
- B.He was allergic to oil paints
- C.He was color-blindcorrect
- D.He had a talent for wood sculpture
Carl Blair did not discover he was color-blind until he was an art student at the University of Kansas.
Source: Biography section
7.What materials did Carl Blair use to craft his whimsical animal sculptures?
- A.Clay and found stones
- B.Recycled plastic and foam
- C.Plywood or spruce pine boardscorrect
- D.Metal pipes and copper wire
Late in his career, Carl Blair created whimsical animals using plywood or spruce pine boards.
Source: Biography section
8.Which gallery did Carl Blair co-found in 1970?
- A.Atchison Art Center
- B.Hampton III Gallerycorrect
- C.Greenville Metropolitan Arts Gallery
- D.Kansas City Contemporary Gallery
In 1970, Carl Blair co-founded Hampton III Gallery with two other faculty members.
Source: Biography section
9.How many years did Carl Blair serve as chairman of the South Carolina Arts Commission?
- A.Twelve years
- B.Twenty years
- C.Two yearscorrect
- D.Five years
Carl Blair served on the South Carolina Arts Commission for twelve years and as chairman for two.
Source: Biography section
10.What major award did Carl Blair receive from the state of South Carolina in 2005?
- A.The Upstate Artist Recognition
- B.The Governor's Arts Medal
- C.The Verner Award for Lifetime Achievementcorrect
- D.The Greenville Arts Educator Prize
In 2005, Carl Blair was awarded the Verner Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Source: Biography section
11.What was the specific theme of the 2016 exhibition organized by the Greenville Metropolitan Arts Council for Carl Blair?
- A.A collection of his self-portraits
- B.Artists Touched by Carl R. Blaircorrect
- C.His early works from the University of Kansas
- D.His retrospective of plywood sculptures
In 2016, the MAC honored Carl Blair with the exhibition Artists Touched by Carl R. Blair.
Source: Biography section
12.What advice did Carl Blair tell his students at Bob Jones University?
- A.Never paint portraits when color-blind
- B.Always prioritize sculpture over painting
- C.Never grow up and take yourself seriouslycorrect
- D.Always focus on bright, vibrant colors
Carl Blair recalled telling his students to never, never grow up and take themselves seriously.
Source: Biography section
13.How did Carl Blair respond to a critic who described his exhibition as dull and colorless?
- A.He was inspired to use more bright colorscorrect
- B.He quit painting for several years
- C.He focused strictly on sculpture instead
- D.He stopped exhibiting in galleries
After a critic called his work colorless, Carl Blair said he was inspired to use more bright colors.
Source: Biography section
14.What is the focus of the Carl R. Blair Award created by the Greenville Metropolitan Arts Council?
- A.Commitment to Arts Educationcorrect
- B.Outstanding achievement in oil painting
- C.Leadership in commercial gallery management
- D.Excellence in sculpture
The Carl R. Blair Award was created for commitment to Arts Education.
Source: Biography section
15.When did Carl Blair pass away?
- A.November 28, 2018
- B.January 22, 2016
- C.January 22, 2018correct
- D.November 28, 2016
The biography states that Carl Blair died on January 22, 2018.
Source: Biography introduction
People who died on January 22
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