Jack Barrett said, "I love to draw people because that is where the soul resides." His art reflects his philosophy and vast talent. His wife, Louise, says that even had he never sold one painting, he would have painted as his life's passion.
Jack Barrett was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 1929. From the age of seven he wanted to be an artist. He came to believe that a "man is never closer to God than when he is being creative."
After serving in the Marines during the Korean War where he was wounded on the battlefield, Jack returned to Pittsburgh. There he attended Carnegie Institute and in 1954, graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. His diversified body of work has included news feature, illustration, sports cartoons, political caricatures, show business portraits and humorous art, as well as "serious" paintings.
Jack's style ranges as widely as his subjects, from meticulous representationalism to free expressionism. "What Art is about", Barrett states, is "To record a likeness or gesture in a dramatic spontaneous moment." Throughout his artistic career, Jack Barrett insisted on his own style and being his own self, "I want to be me," he said.
Jack's myriads of artistic accomplishments include: teaching, sculpture, murals and acting. He was also the recipient of many awards and honors including first awards for newspaper illustration. His work has been published by Rockport Publishers, Massachusetts, Contemporary Graphic Artists, Gale Research Company, New York, Comic Art & Caricature by Roy Paul Nelson Contemporary Books, Inc., Chicago and McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, College Custom Series (Art).
Jack Barrett passed away on February 3, 2008. His last painting, "Highway to Heaven," was painted as he was dying. His wife, Louise, took him to his home studio and held the canvas for him. To finish the top of the painting, she had to hold the painting upside down so he could reach the uppermost sections. The painting is not for sale.
Jack's work continues to be exhibited in many fine galleries throughout Florida, the United States and Canada, and on the online gallery, DiscoverOriginalArt.com.