Artists of Note | Jack McGowan

Odes to our planet

Jack McGowan, Truchas Sleeps Under a Soft Winter Blanket, oil, 16 x 20.

Jack McGowan, Truchas Sleeps Under a Soft Winter Blanket, oil, 16 x 20.

This story was featured in the November 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

WHEN JACK McGowan ventured into painting at age 65—after retiring from a high-powered career in the energy-efficiency industry—it was not his first foray into fine art. In fact, McGowan had briefly studied painting four decades earlier with Zuni artist and muralist Alex Seowtewa. “It was overwhelming when I started,” recalls the Santa Fe, NM, artist. “But I really liked doing it, and I never forgot that experience.”

So it’s not surprising that, upon retiring, McGowan picked up a paintbrush again, this time turning to artists such as Robert Simone, Peggy Immel, and Joe Anna Arnett for instruction. In 2017, he started painting en plein air with Truchas, NM, artist Sally Delap-John. “We painted all up and down the High Road to Taos,” he says, describing the experience as an “inflection point” in his artistic journey.

Today McGowan paints on location and in his studio, and his color-rich oeuvre reveals his go-to muse: northern New Mexico’s singular peaks and valleys and inimitable blue skies. “What I want to convey is the beauty we see around us,” says the artist, who frequently portrays the region’s pastoral villages nestled harmoniously in the landscape. “I like to create an impression that there’s a way to cohabitate with the planet in a positive fashion,” notes McGowan, an ardent clean-energy advocate. “If I can evoke a sense of appreciation in the viewer’s eye and heart about how precious the [earth’s] resources are, that’s the ideal.” —Kim Agricola

McGowan is represented by Santa Fe Art Collector, Santa Fe, NM, and www.jackmcgowan-artist.com.

This story was featured in the November 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art November 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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