He gives his paintings and pots to his six children and 36 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren — who also get lessons from Grandpa if they want them. He isn't nearly as concerned about the monetary side of painting as he is about the art experience.

"I still want to keep doing it. I paint every day, at least I did until my exhibits went up," he said.

His art career had some stops and starts in the beginning.

He lost out on a teaching position when he was drafted into the army to build bridges — as part of the 1629th Engineer Corps — shortly after he and his wife were married in 1938, so he took a job at the State Tax Commission. He returned to that job when he got home because he couldn't find a job teaching art until a colleague who respected his talent referred him for a university position.

"I've had at least 21 one-man shows, including one on my mission where they made me an artist-in-residence," said Weaver.

His secret to creating great art?

"The mission of my art is bringing out the unfamiliar from the most familiar. Simplify your subject matter, use art elements and principles, bring out the heart in what you do," he said.

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