John Nesbitt shared an exhibition of his oil paintings at ArtBeat earlier this year. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Artist John Nesbitt, 80, a Citrus Heights resident, shared an exhibition of his oil paintings at ArtBeat, a music, arts and cultural event in the MarketPlace at Birdcage this past spring.

“Painting brings me great joy and has helped me heal on a much deeper level,” he explained.

Over coffee, Nesbitt said he wants to connect and engage with a wide variety of community and veteran’s groups in the local area, including representatives of the Sunrise Adult School, the San Juan Unified School District and the Sunrise Recreation and Parks Department, in settings where young and old can pick up their brushes and put paint to canvas to express their creativity.

It’s in the field of art therapy where Nesbitt said he has especially felt a personal calling and wants to actively share its value with others.

“The arts are a means of self-expression and provide a release of tension, which produce positive social behavior,” he said.

Pictured here is “Sunset” by John Nesbitt. Photo courtesy of John Nesbitt

In conversation, Nesbitt is happy to describe his own classical surrealist painting style as well as his wartime Vietnam combat service from August 1966 to October 1968 as a U.S. Army Green Beret with all whom may ask.

Nesbitt’s personal journey from the gritty streets of Harlem in New York City is reflected in a professional resume proving 40 years of service to the community in roles ranging from a Tae Kwon Do master with 7th Dan certification, a professional educator, an art therapist and as a professional fine artist. He is also a father of two,

Art therapy is a mental health profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families and communities through active art making within a psychotherapeutic relationship.

“I’m greatly influenced and fond of the work of Salvador Dali,” Nesbitt said.

Like Dali, the content of many of Nesbitt’s paintings reflect a combination of both awake experiences with landscape and dream state experiences.

John Nesbitt takes inspiration from Salvador Dali, as seen here in his painting, “The Holy Land.” Photo courtesy of John Nesbitt

Nesbitt has taught classical drawing techniques from the European Impressionist era. He noticed when he picked up his art brushes to resume and finish his undergraduate fine arts degree following the intensity of combat in Vietnam, that his painting style had changed, as had his color choices.

Each successive painting he created helped him move away from the post-traumatic stress experiences of combat towards healing, he said.

“In the spring of 1966, I was just one semester short of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts,” Nesbitt said. “A romantic relationship which I was in had just ended and I happened to walk by a U.S. Army recruiting station. The first U.S. troops were just deploying to Vietnam but the Selective Service draft hadn’t started yet.”

Nesbitt enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1966 and was deployed to Vietnam on Aug. 18. There, he was recruited by the Special Forces and sent to Project Delta for reconnaissance training.

“Project Delta was the first of the four Special reconnaissance (SR) units with a Greek letter formed by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MAC-V) during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam,” Nesbitt said.

He completed two assignments with the unit and became the first African American advisor for the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Recondo School, where he completed 14 missions.

John Nesbitt enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1966. Photo courtesy of John Nesbitt

Upon his discharge in 1968, Nesbitt resumed his art education, earning a B.S. in secondary art education where he majored in drawing and oil painting and later a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from University of California, Davis.

In 1969, Nesbitt joined the Oak Park Sacramento Urban League and became a teacher in the Grant Union High School District at Norte Del Rio High School in Del Paso Heights.

“The experience as a classroom teacher was very rewarding,” Nesbitt said.

Through the years, Nesbitt also taught at several schools outside of California, including Grant Union High School and Hampton Institute, College of Arts and Letters, in Hampton, Virginia. As a case manager for the Mather Community Campus in Sacramento, John initiated a resident council and community garden.

In recent years, Nesbitt has been involved with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Neighborhood Emergency Training (NET) and the Veterans History Project (VHP).

Nesbitt has also created J. Nesbitt and Associates, which has qualified as a disabled veterans business enterprise (DVBE) to provide services for staff training and curriculum and professional development to social service and community agencies in the state of California.

John Nesbitt captures the deep blue sea in his painting titled “Neptune.” Photo courtesy of John Nesbitt

“I’ve had a very satisfying career,” Nesbitt said. “I’m continuing to enjoy painting and sharing in exhibits the paintings I have created.”

“It’s also important to encourage others who are going through PTSD in all its forms to pick up brushes for the very first time to learn what art therapy programs can offer them,” Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt said he welcomes those interested in starting an art therapy program to email him at [email protected]. Examples of his oil paintings can be seen at jnesbittandassociates.com.