Sweet and Savage

I’ve been living and working by the sea for most of my career and if I’ve learned anything about living in such an amazing environment, especially for an artist, it is that there is a light side and a dark side to the sea. Both are equally powerful and alluring and both can be equally inspiring and exciting. I strive to bring honest feeling and emotion in my work and if I only painted the bright and sunny side then I would be failing significantly to fully portray this place that I love so much and that I’ve given my life’s work over to. In a strange way I believe the dark makes the bright even brighter and more alluring and beautiful, but it’s the honesty and truthfulness of the sea and its environment that I seek to express in my work which means that not only do I paint the blissful reverie and summery beauty of this place but I also must acknowledge that there is an opposing nature here that is often not so pleasant or romantic but can still evoke feelings of love and wonder.

Some examples of a few of my works that illustrate this contrast that I speak of here….

I think for those that have been following my work for some time, this post and what it says will come as no surprise or revelation. I would say amongst my collectors the passions for both sides of my work run equally strong which perhaps means that not only do these works stir feelings that people relate to with regards to the sea but in some deeper way there is a connection and relevance in these works that relate to lives in general. It is that broader perspective that I pursue these works, almost as a self portrait of my life, both the serene and the stormy, but in all honesty this life is DEFINITELY more Sweet than Savage. More on the sweet in my next blog post. Stay tuned!

~Jack

Why a Blog?

I’m not really a writer but it often feels like I approach my work more like a writer than strictly a visual artist. What do I mean by this? Well, most of my paintings begin with a story or a narrative that emanates from either something I’ve felt or experienced or seen or a combination of all of these. Often the story builds, grows and deepens as the “idea” for the work sits and germinates in my mind for weeks, months or even years before I commit it to canvas. These stories are not really fictional, far from it actually, they are always based on real experiences, fact and history. “Fact is stranger than fiction” or as I like to say, “Fact is more powerful than fiction if presented in a manner like fiction”.

So back to the question, ”Why a Blog?” Unless I purposely communicate these narratives that lay beneath the surface of a work it is left up to the viewer to take from a work what they will. That is perfectly fine with me because a viewer will often see or sense something in a work that I didn’t intentionally set out to express. Indeed that is one of the unique and magical qualities of art, that it takes on a life of its own in the mind of the viewer, but this blog gives me an opportunity to add a bit of insight into the work as well as personal anecdotes, some behind the scenes previews and revealing insights into my whole creative process in general which hopefully will heighten the viewers understanding and visual/emotional response to the work and possibly learn a little bit about me in the process.

There will be no set schedule for publishing new entries but I will post notifications of new blog entries on both my instagram and Facebook pages so be on the lookout for those. I will try to keep each blog entry as brief as possible but thorough and hopefully entertaining and enlightening!

So, with that said I’d like to welcome you aboard “Tradewinds & Treasure” and I truly hope you enjoy the journey!

~Jack