Jay has nurtured an artistic interest over the past many years by collecting an eclectic art history and education library, attending galleries and art museums with his wife who shares this interest. He has drawn, painted and printed woodcuts that he has shared with friends and family, decorated his medical offices and now are part of his current gallery presentation.

My art background is divided into four distinct eras: woodcut prints (1963-1978), watercolor landscapes (1982-1994) and watercolor portraits (2001-2005) and oil paintings.

Oil Paintings

Woodcut Prints

I became interested in the art of carving and printing wood blocks as a medical student at Kansas University when a fellow classmate, Mike Carmichael, who was an academically trained artist, needed help printing a 4' x 8' woodcut he had recently completed. As I watch the process of his art production he encouraged me to try my hand. We became fast friends and our families moved to Minnesota, after completing our medical training, where he practiced as a radiologist and I an orthopedic surgeon. We continued to do woodcuts and assisted each other in prints until he died just a few years into his medical practice having never been recognized as the great artist he was. The woodcuts "Norway Pine", "The Loon" and "White Tail Deer" were done as a tribute to him.

Watercolor Landscapes

In 1980 my artistic interest shifted to watercolor landscapes. I was fascinated by the mercurial behavior of this medium, the occurrence of happy and unhappy incidents and the spontaneity that this technique required contrasted so strongly with the calculation and skill necessary in executing woodcuts. After much experimentation and self-taught study of past watercolor masters such as Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent, I found this a perfect way to express my artistic talent.

Most of these landscapes were painted on site, of scenes local to Minnesota, using portable easel and watercolor tools.

Watercolor Portraits (Born in America)

I began collecting copies of archival photographs of Native Americans after receiving a photograph of my great grandmother taken in the 1860s. My father understood she was a Native American and I wanted to compare her facial features with other Native Americans of the various tribes. I noticed how much these photographs differed from the paintings of 19th Century artists George Catlin, Karl Bodmer, and George Bird King, occasionally of the same subject. "Born in America" is my series of larger than life watercolor portraits based on archival photographs by legendary photographers Edward S. Curtis, Carl Moon, George W. Scott and others. I remained faithful to these images as in facial features and dress but through the use of color, subtle changes in expression and composition I created a contemporary work of art. These portraits offer a fresh opportunity for a silent dialog between the spirit expressed in these images and the viewer. I believe the impact will be similar to what I experienced in creating these paintings. These and other indigenous people were the fathers and mothers of America. I am honored to be a participant in their recognition and praise.