Jack Rootman

My artistic journey has been driven by the natural curiosity of an observer and by an interest in spiritual values.  As I became committed to artistic expression, I was attracted to landscape and natural still life, particularly of British Columbia but also from my travels.  My media choices started with watercolor then grew to include ink, gouache, gesso, acrylic, oil, pastel and collage.  I am interested in the interplay of light and color in nature, and stylistically attracted to the romantic realist mode.  Experimentation with texture produced by manipulating and mixing media is a major challenge.  Art brings a joyful focus into life, creating a sensitivity to our environment, the color, and textures and psychology of the natural world.  I have a particular fascination with interpreting design, contrast, and texture.  I have also become interested in scale, painting from miniature to mural sizes.

My deliberate journey has been to meld art with my life interest in care giving thus the figure has also become a dominant subject.  Simply stated, if I am to paint from the heart, mankind must be at the core of the narrative.  My principal goal is to represent some of the universals in human behaviour and interaction, with special emphasis on those moments that touch the spirit of humanity.