JACK McLAIN

“The natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert that surrounds me in Tucson, Arizona, offers real inspiration for my colors and compositions.”

So why do I paint? There are many reasons why I have chosen to become a painter. It allows me to create my own light and forms and allows expression to be limited only by my own skills and imagination. It is also very physical, like dancing. I try not to overthink the process when I start a painting. I intuitively allow texture, random shapes, and colors to take form with my brushes or knives. There is a moment where some juxtaposition of form and color reveals itself, and the success of my painting rests on recognizing this magic moment.

Painting through this moment can result in pure form or color abstractions, quasi-figurative representation, or allegory. At other times, traces of the influence of photography come to the surface, or my painting morphs into distinct geometric forms with no purpose but to be colorful with a coherent orderliness. And I love that I can seldom predict the outcome!

Style: Abstract,  Impressionist, Allegorical

Medium: Painting • Oil, Oil and cold wax, Acrylic, Mixed Media