John Wismont - The San Diego Connection

John Wismont, Produced “Kazoo’s Kids,” a Children’s TV show with a $25,000.00 grant from the San Diego Film Commission. Three, thirty minute programs aired on Cox TV Channel 24.

BACK STORY

The former Mayor of San Diego, Roger Hedgecock, commissioned John to paint a mural at Roger’s on 5th. One Hundred celebrated people’s Portraits were illustrated on nine walls.

The mural, which unfortunately had been recently destroyed lives on through a working documentary, “ Stories From The Mural.” It is about the people depicted on the mural who created the history, spirit and development of The City of San Diego “America’s finest City.” The project morphed into a new creation forming this video pilot project, “The San Diego Connection,” and a new film adventure, a documentary about Father Joe Carroll.

The following is a story in the San Diego Union-Times, reported by award winning reporter, Angela Brandt.

Poway man goes from Disneyland portraits to documentary on Father Joe

**John Wismont, a longtime Poway resident and former Disneyland portrait painter, sketches his granddaughter, Olivia Wismont.**

(Criselda Yee )

BY ANGELA BRANDTSTAFF WRITER MARCH 3, 2022 7:56 AM PT

John Wismont met John Lennon and Bob Hope. He once got a thumbs up about a portrait he did of John Wayne from the Duke himself.

The Poway resident has painted so many watercolor portraits that he was in the Guinness Book of World Records.

After working at Disneyland as a portrait artist, he created portraits and caricatures at many tourist spots around San Diego. If you had a Grad Night in Poway, odds are Wismont, now 80, is the one who drew your portrait.

But, of all the people he’s met, only one inspired Wismont to produce a documentary — and that’s Father Joe Carroll, known for his work with the homeless in San Diego. Wismont said he was touched by Carroll’s generosity and compassion. He also was a fan of Carroll’s sense of humor.

“My documentary is of Father Joe Carroll’s legacy and his vision to give hope and enrich the lives of not only the needy but the more prosperous among us to realize the homeless are our neighbors and are worthy of our help,” Wismont said.

Wismont credits his wife, Bonnie, who he married in 1963, with inspiring and supporting him “no matter how weird the idea.”

“If it wasn’t for her, I couldn’t do half these things,” he said.

Wismont was drawing a model during a class at Cal State Long Beach in 1970 when the model suggested he go to Disneyland, where she was a cashier. He did just that and ended up with a job doing portraits of visitors to the park. His first watercolor portrait took him about two hours. By the time he left the job six years later, he could complete one in eight minutes.

During his time at Disneyland, Wismont created 44,000 watercolor portraits and ended up in the Guinness Book of World Records for his feat. The record was in the book from 1978 to 1981.

John Wismont's Guiness Book of World Records for most prolific portrait painter is highlighted. — John Wismont’s Guiness Book of World Records for most prolific portrait painter is highlighted.
(courtesy photo )

In 1976, Disneyland discontinued doing portraits and Wismont had to find a new gig.

He continued doing caricatures and portraits around San Diego. Wismont has worked at Sea World for three years, Seaport Village for a dozen years and the San Diego Zoo for 13.

“I loved it,” he said. “It was therapeutic.”

John Wismont sits at a Poway coffee shop recently. He is making a documentary on Father Joe Carroll.
(Angela Brandt )

The couple moved to Poway in 1982. Wismont began drawing at events around the city, including Grad Nights and holidays.

“Every year, I have the pleasure of doing art for the community,” he said.

But last Christmas was Wismont’s final time doing portraits at Old Poway Park. He has carpal tunnel and can’t hold onto the design marker anymore.

“So, I have to do something else,” he said.

That something else is a documentary.

In 2000, Wismont was commissioned to paint a mural in the Gaslamp Quarter featuring local and international icons. He completed more than 100 portraits of people on nine walls. One wall was political figures, another was athletes and yet another was musicians. Carroll, a Catholic priest and founder of the nonprofit Father Joe’s Villages, was one of those icons.

Father Joe’s Villages provides housing, food, health care, education, vocational training and other services to thousands of people annually.

Part of the mural painted by John Wismont is seen in this photo
(courtesy photo )

When they met in person, Carroll asked Wismont to paint of portrait of his family. Wismont had a photograph he was working off and would paint it during downtime at the San Diego Zoo. At the same time, a friendship blossomed.

“I got to know him fairly well,” Wismont said.

John Wismont's portrait of Father Joe Carroll, who is the focus of his documentary. — John Wismont’s portrait of Father Joe Carroll, who is the focus of his documentary.
(courtesy photo )

About six years ago, Wismont began videotaping his interactions with Carroll. Then he decided to work on a documentary on Carroll, and interviewed him on camera.

Wismont used some tricks of the trade he learned at art school. He does some of the camerawork himself and other times utilizes a crew.

Tom Zizzy, a freelance videographer working with Wismont, said he jumped at the opportunity to help on the documentary.

“I like projects that I can get my heart involved in,” Zizzy said. “This is one of those projects.”

Carroll died in 2021. Wismont filmed his funeral and memorial.

“Father Joe did more than just give a handout to the needy, he had the understanding that people need help in different ways to deal with diverse forms of addiction, bad luck, mental health and other misfortunes of life,” Wismont said. “He had an astute plan and after 30 years, built Father Joe’s Village.

“I want to show how it all came about and note that tens of thousands of people have been blessed in knowing, helping, donating and are better off because of a Catholic priest from the Bronx who decided to do more, and really made a difference.”

“That is exactly what I want to present to the viewer,” he added. “Plus, I met the man, and it needs to be done.”

Wismont plans to focus not only on what Carroll did when he was alive but also how his legacy continues to help those in need. Early in February he and his crew went to the opening of the Saint Teresa of Calcutta affordable housing building in East Village. Carroll’s nonprofit helped raise funds from about a dozen sources for the building, which has more than 400 units of affordable housing.

“That was a big deal,” Wismont said.

He plans to follow occupants of the new housing in the documentary.

“I will tell their stories and how Father Joe inspired them. He inspired me,” Wismont said. “He was doing it for other people not just for his own glory. He really cared about the homeless. He took it way further than just food and home.”

Wismont also interviewedDeacon Jim Vargas, the new president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages. And he is continually looking for more Carroll stories.

Wismont and his crew are still in the filming phase of the production.

“It’s probably going to take quite a while to get done,” he said.

When they get into postproduction, Wismont said he plans on raising money through a website and might try a Kickstarter campaign.

Once it is complete, Wismont said he plans to enter the documentary into festivals and contests.

For updates on the documentary and Wismont’s other projects, visit www.thesandiegoconnection.com. Wismont encourages those with Carroll stories to contact him through the website.