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Kentucky-born painter Jim Hall, inventor of Lineillism, has died at 84 after brief illness


Noted painter Jim Hall, who created a darning new artform called Linneillism, has died.

Hall created the style of painting in all vertical lines after he was nearly blinded by a case of the Shingles virus. It caused him to see the world in lines. Instead of panicking, Hall started painting what he saw, debuting the style in an exhibition at the Sharonville Cultural Arts Center in 2010. Even after the lines faded from his vision, Hall created more than 100 paintings in that style. His work hangs in private and corporate collections across the country.

Artist Jim Hall during filming of the award-winning documentary, Lines of Sight.

Hall was born in Henry County, Kentucky in 1932. He lived most of his adult life in Sharonville, Ohio, where he and his late wife Joan raised their three childen. Hall was also a retired executive from Proctor & Gamble. He and his family launched several charity projects in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Hall’s work and life story are featured in the award-winning documentary, Lines of Sight, and a traveling museum exhibit called Lineillism Revealed. The exhibit premiered at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Febryar and recently received an ArtsWave grant. Hall’s son Mike will be helping to spread his father’s legacy by meeting with audiences of the documentary and exhibit.

Hall died Tuesday morning at Hospice of Cincinnati after a brief illness. He was 84.

A service is planned for Saturday, August 12, at the Sharonville Community Center at 10990 Thornview Drive, Sharonville, beginning at 1 p.m.

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Please see the NKyTribune’s earlier story about Jim Hall.

One of Jim Hall’s paintings


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2 Comments

  1. POLLY PETERSON says:

    I just watched the documentary on Jim Hall. What a remarkable man.

  2. Joan Glass says:

    I watched the documentary on Jim Hall. He is more then a remarkable man, he is a true artist. I lived in Henry Co., Ky also. Our best friend was a Hall. The person that produced the show was Jim Hampton and my mother’s maiden name is Hampton. My name is Joan. I am 72 years old. This documentary made me cry tears of joy. Thank you.

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