Dorothy Dent Painting

Dorothy Dent had the inclination to become an artist during her childhood, and has been involved in the creative art world for over 30 years. Dorothy was born on a farm in South Springfield, Missouri, and due to being raised in the Ozarks, she developed a love of old barns, water mills, cabins and rural settings. These different scenes she fell in love with, would later become the subject matter for her most famous oil paintings. Sadly, Dorothy Dent passed away on April 15th of 2022.

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Dorothy Dent (Garner) artist, teacher, and mother passed away April 15 after bravely battling Parkinson's disease and dementia. Dorothy was born April 2, 1942, to loving parents Lester and Christie McCafferty of Springfield MO. An only child, she was raised on a farm in south Springfield. Her rural upbringing and strong work ethic influenced her life in an important way.

Dorothy's mother had an artistic flair and Dorothy followed the same path, dabbling with painting as a teenager. At age 20, her husband bought her a set of oil paints from a flea market, and she continued to paint periodically. In 1975 she attended a Tole painting class and was soon teaching classes in her home. This began a decades long career that brought her immense joy.

Dorothy Dent found her true passion, painting scenes of the fields and barns that were so much a part of her youth. In 1976 she opened "Painter's Corner" in Republic. She made a name for herself painting saw blades which led to her first book "Sawscapes". She soon developed into an internationally known teacher and authored over 40 instruction books, contributed to various decorative painting publications, and appeared as a guest on the popular PBS series "The Joy of Painting", with Bob Ross. She then went on to host her own series "The Joy of Country Painting". She taught classes in her Republic, Missouri studio, across the country, and internationally for 40 years. She retired in 2015.

Dorothy was a member of the Brookline church of Christ. Prior to Brookline, she had been a member of the Sunset church of Christ for a number of years. She is survived by her children Casey Dent (Sara) of Olathe, KS and Susie Wieland (Dave) of Springfield, MO and three grandchildren: Sam Dent, Olivia Dent, and Leo Wieland.
She gave her children the gift of independence and the courage to go out in the world and "give it a try!". She made the most of every minute and she was loved by all that knew her. She will be terribly missed.