Norman Winslow Blackwell

Norman Winslow Blackwell

December 9, 1933 – September 30, 2026

Norman Winslow Blackwell of Clyo, Georgia, a gifted artist whose creative life spanned more than nine-decades, passed away at the age of 92. He was a devout Christian and a member of Mizpah Church in Clyo.

Norman was born December 9, 1933, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the youngest of three children born to Roy Ellison Blackwell and Ruby Lena Cail Blackwell. His family’s roots, however, ran deep in Georgia. During his early childhood, the family returned to Georgia, and Norman was raised largely in Savannah while maintaining a lifelong connection to the family property in Clyo, land that had been in his family for generations.

Art was not simply Norman’s profession; it was part of who he was almost from the beginning. He began drawing at about five years old. At the age of 12, he painted a still life of a lavender vase and flowers – a painting he treasured enough to keep hanging in his Clyo home many decades later. While attending Savannah High School, Norman came under the influence of art teacher Margaret Murphy. Her encouragement gave the young artist confidence to pursue his gift seriously. Norman graduated from Savannah High two years early in 1950 and continued his education at Armstrong Junior College before studying at UCLA and the University of Georgia. At UGA, he studied under noted Georgia artist Lamar Dodd and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Advertising Design in 1956. During his senior year, Norman served as art editor of The Pandora, the university yearbook. He later pursued postgraduate study at the University of Cincinnati.

Norman served in the United States Navy and was stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola. His experiences there would later provide inspiration for his artwork. He spent much of his career in advertising with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, but through all the different chapters of his life, he continued to create. Upon moving back to Savannah, he served as the first Gallery Director at the Savannah College of Art and Design. His artistic interests were remarkably broad. Norman worked in portraiture, landscapes, figures, florals and abstract art and was never content simply to repeat what he had done before. He experimented with different media, techniques and styles, finding inspiration both in nature and in the work of other artists. His work eventually traveled far beyond the quiet country home in Clyo where so much of it was created. Norman’s paintings were exhibited and collected in the United States and abroad, and his work found its way into distinguished private collections, including that of the late King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Yet one of the most telling things about Norman was that accomplishment never extinguished curiosity. Even after a lifetime devoted to art, there was always another idea to explore, another technique to try, and another painting waiting to be created.

In a 2010 interview, at the age of 77, Norman spoke about all the projects he still hoped to undertake. He joked that he had so many ideas he would have to live to be 150 to accomplish them all. His conclusion was simpler: he intended to remain busy creating for as long as he possibly could. And he did.

Norman continued creating art into his later years (even the week of his passing), more than eight decades after the 12-year-old boy painted the still life that remained on the wall of his Clyo home. Perhaps the best summary of Norman’s life as an artist came from the teacher who first encouraged him. Margaret Murphy told him that if he believed he was a good artist, he should not be afraid to say so – and if he did not yet believe it, he should keep studying and painting until he became one.

Norman kept studying. He kept experimenting. And above all, he kept painting. Through the pictures he created, the people he encouraged, and the beauty he saw and placed on canvas, Norman Winslow Blackwell leaves behind a remarkable creative legacy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy Ellison and Ruby Lena Blackwell; his brother, Roy Edward Blackwell; and his sister, Regina Elayne Blackwell Parrish.

He is survived by his niece Judie Braddock; nephew Mark Parrish, Sr.; great-nieces and nephews Whitney Braddock; Jay Braddock; Mark Parrish, Jr; Marie Parrish Merjanian.

The family would like to thank the members of Mizpah Church, and in particular Pastor Jay Willams, for all of their kindness over the past years.

Memorial services announced at a later date.

Contributions to Mizpah Church, Clyo, GA.