“All of nature continues to fascinate and inspire me. The more I paint, the more I realize how intricate our natural world is created. I truly enjoy the time spent outdoors as it is my time to pray, dream, and compose.”
Jack Paluh
An Artist Inspired by Nature
The beginning:
"Finding the silver lining in a dark cloud"
Artist Jack Paluh (pronounced pa-lew), resides in Northwestern Pennsylvania in the small borough of Waterford, with his wife Marian. From the time he was old enough to hold a pencil, he was constantly sketching, drawing, and painting. His teachers recognized Jack’s talents early and encouraged him to continue developing his art skills following high school. But being young, Jack had other ideas and found work as a truck driver.
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His life changed drastically, however, in the autumn of 1982, when he was injured in a hunting accident. “While I was bow hunting, my tree stand collapsed beneath me and I fell 20 feet to the ground, cracking a vertebra in my back,” Jack remembers, “but God was faithful, and provided me with an opportunity to find the silver lining in a very dark cloud.” Jack is referring to his recuperation period when he painted a white-tailed deer painting titled Monday Morning. “That was nearly 40 years ago, and so began my career as a full-time nature artist.”
"The Heart and Soul
of Jack Paluh Arts"
The heart and soul of Jack Paluh Arts is the family team that brings it all together. In 1986, Jack met Marian while fishing. She became his wife, best friend, and business partner. They laugh at the catch they both made that day. Laughter plays a huge part in their relationship. As with any partnership, each partner brings to the table a different point of view. Jack and Marian have blended these views and created the foundation for Jack Paluh Arts. They started an art business with nothing but faith, determination, and each other. Of course, Jack provided the oil painting talent, but Marian provided the grit and determination to extend it.
The hub of Jack Paluh Arts is at Jack and Marian’s home and studio. The Paluh family team are often collaborating new business ideas or ways to showcase creativity. Ideas are frequently swapped across the kitchen table. This table has also hosted many postcard and promotional envelope-stuffing parties, where not only stamps were flying through the air, but much laughter as well. Paintings are always brought down to the kitchen area at supper time and critiqued by the entire family. In their younger days, all the Paluh children drew and painted with Jack. He taught them how to see color and textures. But most importantly, Jack and Marian taught them how to find the beauty in everything. As reference to an artist is like a recipe for a chef, Jack and his family have spent much time obtaining his reference outdoors. Jack and Marian have truly passed onto their family the love of the outdoors and their great respect for nature.
Plein air painting:
"In open air"
The past couple years, Jack has spent even more time in his favorite workspace: the outdoors. He and his wife Marian, have made it a point to take their camper and discover new areas to paint, whether it be in a National Park, on the dunes next to the ocean, or outside a campsite in a local state park. Here he uses a technique called Plein Air Painting (meaning “in the open air”).
“I carry my canvases and oil paints out into all types of weather in search of the ideal scene. While painting outdoors, images are created to capture specific lighting and color temperatures. This capture of natural light and color enables me to carry these small studies back to the studio and bring larger paintings to life. The medium I use is oils on canvas or linen. The oil paints provide me with rich colors and a longer drying period to make changes on the canvas.”
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“With my artwork, my hope is to transport my viewers into an image which promotes the true essence of nature. My goal is to have the viewer’s eyes flow comfortably through a piece and to draw them into the canvas. I want to portray the beauty of the outdoors in my works and share these scenes with others. I paint landscapes that my viewers can relate to: paths through the woods, hidden creeks, scenic rivers, vast skies, wildlife, vistas, waters and a panorama of the changing seasons. I want you to feel as if you have visited the place I am painting. It is an honor to bring these scenes to life on canvas for all to enjoy. In the blink of an eye, over forty years as an oil painter have passed, but creating paintings continues to be my passion.”
