John Misner Paintings

06/22/2026

At the Wise History Museum this past Saturday.

05/27/2026

WOODY CABIN, MAY 24 _ Oil on panel _ 8"x10" _ Plein air _ Painted May 24, 2026 at Decatur, Texas.

05/08/2026

Great work.

Deep in the quiet woods of Cades Cove, Tennessee sits a historic Smoky Mountains home with a story of heartbreak and a fresh start. The tiny, rough cabin on the left was built in 1881 for Matilda Shields after her first husband abandoned her. Life was hard until she met Henry Whitehead. To prove his love, Henry built the much grander home attached to it...the ultimate 19th-century "upgrade."

What makes this place legendary is the construction. While most neighbors hacked away with axes, Henry used a sawmill to create smooth, square-cut logs that fit together so perfectly the walls were airtight. He even hand-fired his own bricks for the chimney, a massive luxury when everyone else used fieldstones. Today, you can stand in the "dogtrot" breezeway connecting the two eras. It’s the only square-sawn log home left in the park, serving as a beautiful, wooden timeline of mountain life moving from survival to craftsmanship. Today, you can still see this place and have a look up close when in the Cades Cover area of the Smokies.

04/11/2026

Oklahoma and Arkansas this week. Five paintings. 5"x7". Oil. Plein air. Nice weather.