ART BY SIMANTEL Home | Drawings | Computer Art | Paintings | Cartoons | Art Links | Portfolio | Harlan Simantel
Jack Barber
"They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green." (Psalm 92:14)
Jack Barber had more of an impact on my life as an artist and a person than any other individual I've met. His generosity with his time (painting with him at the Brush and Palette studio, for instance), his kindness, and his passion for painting I'll always remember and appreciate. (Go to the bottom of this page for links to a few of Mr. Barber's paintings.)
I recall the first day of art class at Oregon City High School when I was a junior, listening to this white-haired man, and seeing impressive examples of his oil paintings all around. He said he would be available to anyone in the class if they had any kind of problem, 24 hours a day. He meant it. I saw him talk to troubled classmates after class. He was always there for them. I think he was like a second dad to some of us.
I was not close to my own father, who could be sullen at times. Jack became a mentor, father figure, and adult friend to me.
I learned so much by watching him paint seascapes, like magic, in an hour and a half, at the Brush and Palette. He probably could have taught painting on TV, he was so fast and adept at it. He was a student of Thomas Hart Benton at the Kansas City Art Institute and you could see Benton's influence in Jack's paintings.
His teaching style was primarily encouragement, with gentle correction and helpful suggestions -- no insensitive criticism that I remember. Passion and enthusiasm for life and art rubbed off on his students.
He introduced me to other dedicated artists at the B & P, like Jack Adams, Helen and Terry Trayle, Ken Richardson, his wife, and cranky Larry Smelser. What a bunch of characters! It was a good mix. I like to think Larry and Jack are somewhere in the next life good naturedly arguing about art. I miss those guys.
I keep an Oregonian article clipping about Jack in my painting room. It's a good reminder of what he did for me, and an inspiration as I continue to paint.
When I think of a giving, unselfish person, that's Jack. In a word, he was kind. I feel priveleged having known him and being influenced by him. He was a terrific painter, but an even more terrific person.
Thanks, Jack Barber, for all you did for me.
I'm including six photos of Jack's paintings. He was a prolific painter, and typically painted large scale, with big brushes, expressively and colorfully in a style all his own. Almost all paintings were executed from his vivid imagination -- rather than photo sources. I visited his family and studio, where large paintings were stacked by the score. His wife Ruth showed me and my wife around their country house, where Jack's paintings graced each room. I snapped these photos of his paintings:
Seascape. (Not knowing the actual titles, I'm using my own descriptive names) Jack loved to paint the sea and was well known for his seascapes.
Pioneer. In retirement Mr. Barber painted a series of portraits of historic Oregon pioneers and showed them in a local museum.
Snow Canyon. Watching Jack paint was like watching magic happen. Without trying hard, he was fast and sure with a paint brush. He used "Crystalloid gloss," a fast drying Dutch Boy product, which enabled him to paint rapidly, wet into wet.
Beyond the Sunset. (actual title) This was one of Jack's last paintings, given to his wife Ruth, symbolic of leaving this world for the next. The following poem by Emily Dickinson seems to fit nicely with the painting...
Exultation is the going
Of an inland soul to sea,
Past the houses - past the headlands -
Into deep Eternity -
Bred as we, among the mountains,
Can the sailor understand
The divine intoxication
Of the first league out from land?
All art work Copyright © Harlan Simantel
Your e-mail feedback is welcome.