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Jason Deas
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J.W. Deas
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The Painter Kindle Edition

by Jason Deas (Author), Mary Metcalfe (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
See all formats and editions
Life can be complicated for a liar and fake artist. As a university art student in 1992, Andy has stealing bits and pieces from other works down to a science. His deception is rooted so deep within himself, he's even beginning to believe his own lies.

When Andy meets Henry, an actual artist, his life tumbles farther down the rabbit hole. Henry lives in the shadows of Athens, Georgia, unable to face humanity for his own dark reasons. When the two join forces, Henry gives Andy the keys to the art kingdom, a move which will alter both of their lives.

As Andy and Henry's duplicity takes form, an eclectic cast of characters add to the deceptive backdrop Andy is creating with his lies. A girlfriend and her roommate, a musical bartender, a blind man and a crazy beatnik all take shape in Andy's colorful life. Within a story of love, laughter, hangovers and lies, Andy must decide between the life he's painted using someone else's brush, or finding his true self within the gray.
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  1. Print length
    250 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    October 25, 2015
  5. File size
    1573 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jason Deas has taught art for eighteen years. He is a songwriter, sculptor, and makes a mean pot of chili. Most of his writing used to take place at Georgia campgrounds, inside a three-man tent or sitting at an uncomfortable concrete picnic table. He wouldn't have had it any other way until he one day found a 70's-model camper where he now writes in luxury. After writing Birdsongs, a mystery for adults, his nieces asked him to write a book for kids. He granted their wish and wrote Camp Timber View. He had so much fun writing it he wrote another middle grade novel titled The Big Stinky City. He wrapped up the Benny James mystery series with books titled Pushed and Brushed Away. 

Other releases include: 
Private Eye (Cameron Caldwell mystery)
The Painter, a coming-of-age novel set in 1992 Athens, Georgia.
Boar's Head Cove, a new adult novel.
101 Things to do with your Christmas Elf (A guide for parents and grandparents)
undone (Burt Bigsley mystery)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0176Y6U6U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ 3-Day Ranch Press (October 25, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1573 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 58 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Jason Deas

    Jason Deas

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Jason Deas is a songwriter, sculptor, and makes a mean pot of chili. When he's not making art and gluing stuff to other stuff he's probably writing. With ten books under his belt he's tried it all - mysteries, coming-of-age, middle grade fiction, and non-fiction. After taking a tour of different genres he's decided to come back home to mysteries and stay. He recently started a new mystery series with a character named Burt Bigsley. Jason hopes readers will fall in love with Burt and send him emails instructing him to write faster.

    See more on the author's page
  2. J.W. Deas

    J.W. Deas

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Jason Deas has taught art in elementary schools for over a decade. He is a songwriter, sculptor, and makes a mean pot of chili. Most of his writing used to take place at Georgia campgrounds, inside a three-man tent or sitting at an uncomfortable concrete picnic table. He wouldn't have had it any other way until he one day found a 70's-model camper where he now writes in luxury. After writing Birdsongs, a mystery for adults, his nieces asked him to write a book for kids. He granted their wish and wrote Camp Timber View. He had so much fun writing it he wrote another middle grade novel titled The Big Stinky City. He recently finished the Benny James mystery series with books titled Pushed and Brushed Away. Jason also started a new series with a book titled Private Eye.

    Currently, he finished The Painter, a coming-of-age novel set in 1992 Athens, Georgia. He wrote this novel under the name J.W. Deas to set it apart from his other work in different genres.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
58 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Andrew D. Merriam
5.0 out of 5 stars love, loss
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
Although this is a quick read it is full of substance. As an artist myself, albeit a musician and lackadaisical writer, I can relate to the art loving characters within this story of lies, appreciation, love, loss, coming of age, and redemption. Each character in this book serves a purpose, but it is not a shallow purpose. I think each character represents a piece of all of us who want to create and live to see our dreams become reality. All of us who simply live and love, and sometimes live behind a mask of uncertainty, which causes us to do the wrong thing within that moment. This book is a great snapshot of youth. It is a great psychological look into the mind of a passionate young man finding his way in life, whether it is through art, school, love, alcohol, and the struggle to accept reality. This book makes me want to lose myself in my art, and leave behind reality, no matter how brief the respite. I will read this quick little book again someday.
6 people found this helpful
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Amy Andrews
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great read!
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The.Cyclist
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
This was a tale of a wounded heart, young and afflicted but sincere and loving. I loved the honest meandering journey through the mind of an artist and young, reckless love. The characters are rich and complex. Good read, Mr. Deas.
4 people found this helpful
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S. Eastman
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful evolution of characters
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching their evolution. Great insight into two broken men who find redemption through art.
One person found this helpful
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Celia Ridley
3.0 out of 5 stars Unusual story line!
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
I had a hard time getting into the story at first...but I just HAD to see how it ended. Very unusual story line. I feel the ending was a bit rushed, if that makes sense.?
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Sam N
5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2015
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An honest and startlingly bold story, with excellent pacing. Seemingly unconnected themes come together late in the book in a way that makes you shake your head. A true story of redemption. One of my favorite books of the year.
3 people found this helpful
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Mande
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
Read it!! Read it now, like yesterday.. so download it already.. Really.. Its a great read..... Recommended to me by Colleen Hoover.. Haven't read a book yet that she has recommended that has not been awesome.
Just sayin' ..
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Jorjie69
3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
I've read this book. I don't know if it had another name or was in a group of books. I didn't love it the first time and don't want to read it again.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The book was funny with the twists on words and the humor
Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
The book was funny with the twists on words and the humor. It made me laugh out loud a few times. I was looking forward to reading it every time. It was well written that you could not predict what was going to happen. I truly enjoyed.
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colleen m. subasic
3.0 out of 5 stars A funky stroll through an eclectic rock’n’roll town
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
Reading this book is like taking a walk through that funky Southern town, Athens, GA. A town known for 80s bands the B-52s and R.E.M., it has developed into an arts hotbed. The music scene is still thriving and artists of all varieties long ago joined the party. The town may be small, but it has the cultural assets of a big city, which is what makes it so unique, so loved, so special.

In this story set in Athens we meet Andy who struggles with a past he can barely admit to himself. He wants to be something he's not; a visual artist. Paintings live and breathe to him, but he doesn’t think much of his own efforts to create them. So he lies, fabricates, pretends. As the novel begins, he happens into an artist who doesn't want to be the face of his own art -- Henry -- and the two make a matched set. Together, with Andy as the face of the art and Henry as the maker, things seem to be going tickety-boo.

The journey takes us to football games, university classes, drinking to excess, and experimentation that come with coming of age. Oh, we can’t forget love: Andy meets Grayson, a girl who shares his tendency toward excess and he wonders if he’s found his partner for life.

Andy’s development as an artist culminates in a touching sequence on how to communicate the colour red. Although the final reveal of this sequence is disappointing, we are rooting for Andy every step of the way.

What this book does well is give us characters and moments that sparkle. Henry is a study in the gruff softy with an artistic focus that can’t be broken. Ruby, who comes later in the book, is painted with a few swift strokes that burst with energy.

The writing itself is at times cheeky, truthful and surprising, "It smelled like grandmas and funky old gas stations"; or playful, "She locked the door and dropped her towel and the next twenty-five minutes have been censored from this edition..."

The storyline itself is character based, quirky in its trajectory, surprising in some of its dead ends and destinations.

And yet...

The central struggle of the main character is his tendency to lie…. Now, it's an interesting thing we do, lying. We do it to save ourselves from shame, keep from admitting our disappointing behaviour, errors, fatal flaws, mis-judgements. Thus, the questions: What defines a lie, when does a “white lie” cross into the harm zone? How are we all lying to ourselves, to others? How far can a lie be taken before it has gone too far? Can a lie ever become the truth? In a world where everyone seems to be lying to us ("Your call is important to us!") how and why do our little lies matter? So, it's definitely a theme worth exploring. But in this book, these or other questions aren't raised. No exploration, consideration is done. Because of that, the book didn’t satisfy this reader.

Also, although the writing at times sings, it lacks consistency. In some stretches, particularly the drinking scenes, we are left wondering if this is more memoir than novel, as the shards we're shown seem too haphazardly lifelike, lacking meaning or connections.

Athens may be the setting, but anyone not familiar with the town will need to Google the local references, as many are not described. Rock’n’roll aficionados may know 40 Watt Club, but probably not The Engine Room (now closed)? Some of the bars seem to be chosen because… well… because they were there.

And yet… the story is also a bit like popcorn, quick and easy to digest. It is quirky, eclectic, Southern fun.

This book could be an enjoyable read to those interested in walking the streets of a funky town, returning to the freedom of university student-dom, getting a smoking or drinking contact high, or of course, for Athens townies who enjoy seeing themselves reflected in the arena of fiction.
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