Creativity in Life

   Joseph Osborne was born in Lead, South Dakota on March 26, 1922 but grew up in Butte, Montana.  Butte, one of the largest copper mining towns in Montana, has a rich history in the west and that sense of culture, history, and images played an important part in Joseph’s entire life.  Surrounded by the beauty and majesty of Montana and the west, he enjoyed the mountains, wide open plains, and rushing rivers of nature while growing up there.  It was during his school years he discovered his talent for creativity found in his love of drawing and sketching sights, scenes, and cartoon drawings often creating his own characters. 

   During World War II, Joseph was proud to join the Marines and served in the Pacific.  In 1945 he married Margaretta Bell Kansas City, Kansas.  In 1957 they settled in Raytown, Missouri, where he pursued his talent with machinery while working as a electrician with the Vendo Company and Bendix becoming involved in full systems maintenance on many different types of equipment including laser welding.  His talent for creativity served him well in this field also as he developed a wide variety of skills.

   Later in life he became an avid golfer, and even in this activity he used his sense of detail, creativity, and desire for excellence to enjoy this sport all his life.

   During his life Joseph had a deep respect for nature and he had an extensive knowledge of history of this country.  His joy was to travel extensively through the 50 states.  During many family vacations he showed his three children, Mark, Joy, and Jeff, the greatness and beauty of this country.  His love of this country and seeing all its beauty, history, and wonder was passed down to his children who continue his legacy to this day.

   Art and beauty, light and color, were always parts of his creative thoughts and expressions.  He was a self-taught artist throughout his life and excelled in painting, drawing, and cartoons. His creativity was always his trademark whether it was pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, oils, acrylics, and clay sculpting.  His subjects varied from portraits and wildlife to landscapes, still lifes, and cartoons.  He experimented with many different mediums and enjoyed the challenge of each.  During his travels he became fascinated with the creativity and composition of photography.  Nature, light, and flags were his favorite themes to express a different side of his creativity.

   In Joseph’s 83 years he saw much of life and turned those experiences into the creativity that defined his talent.