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Jack's
maternal grandfather was a rancher and a cowboy who rode on some of the
last great cattle drives out West. His paternal grandmother was a painter
who vividly captured the people and landmarks of Texas. From his earliest
childhood days, Jack Terry found himself immersed in the worlds of both
cowboys and canvases. And from the age of three, he worked to perfect
the talent that has made him one of America's most honored Western artists.
Young Jack was just a toddler when he began drawing side-by-side with
his grandmother while she painted. By the time he was nine, he had developed
his own special style. "I did a still life of an old cow skull, a boot
of my grandfather's, and a Mexican serape, and entered it in the Scurry
County Fair. I won a blue ribbon on it!" That became the first of more
than 130 awards Jack Terry won by the age of 16 for his still lifes, landscapes
and Western art.
Meanwhile Terry spent time with the ranchers and cowboys from his grandfather's
world, a habit he kept up throughout his formative years. Even after graduating
from the University of Texas in Austin, he took every opportunity to do
day-work on various ranches in search of inspiration and new subject matter.
While in college, Terry majored in journalism and minored in art. By the
time he earned his degree, he already had paintings displayed in galleries
throughout Texas.
Austin was quite the Western art center in the early 1970s, and Terry
took full advantage of the opportunity to work with the great painters
who spent time there. He credits Melvin Warren with helping him to perfect
his understanding of both human and equine anatomy, and James Boren with
assistance on perspective. Porfirio Salinas and Dalhart Windberg taught
Terry about landscape painting, while Edouard Cortes fascinated the young
artist with his methods of capturing light on canvas. Says Terry of his
association with Cortes, "He painted Paris street scenes and I learned
a great deal from his work. In fact, we showed in the same gallery in
Austin. I've always been fascinated by the French use of light, reflection
and shadow, which has influenced even my western art and techniques."
Terry's big break came at age 26 when he was named bicentennial Artist
in Texas. That led to a one-man exhibit in the Texas Rotunda, and a commission
to paint the late President Lyndon B. Johnson for publication on the Texas
Bicentennial Calendar. In 1976, Terry opened the Cotton-Terry Gallery
in Austin, which he ran until 1979. By that time, oilmen were short on
money, and Terry's cowboy paintings had become more difficult to sell.
Ever resourceful, he drew upon his own observations and his eclectic training
to add Victorian women subjects to his collection. They sold to a whole
new audience of admirers, and soon Terry was back on top. Today his repertoire
includes both the Western and cowboy art for which he's best known, as
well as landscapes, Victorian images and street scenes.
Many of Terry's paintings are inspired by the places he has visited and
people he has met. "A lot of my subjects are friends as well as various
ranches that friends own. I still like to go out and ride and work cattle.
We go on trail drives and round-ups, which provide the perfect opportunity
to take lots of pictures. Then I paint my favorite scenes and feature
my friends."
One of Terry's favorite paintings was inspired by one of the many stories
passed on to him by his grandfather. The piece is entitled "If It Weren't
For Bad Luck," painted in 1990. "It was based on a story that my grandfather
told me when he was working cattle from the King Ranch and driving them
up to Kansas at a time when Texas still had buffalo. During a big storm,
they were coming over a hill - the cattle spooked the buffalo and there
was a huge stampede - a story I recalled from an early age, which I later
captured on canvas."
In addition to his many successful one-man shows and associations with
galleries, Terry opened his own Jack Terry Fine Art Publishing business
in 1990 with his wife, Mary. Since then they have published more than
65 limited-edition prints on canvas and archival paper. Each canvas is
individually hand-painted to add highlights and texture and to give them
the look and feel of an original oil.
Today, Jack and Mary Terry enjoy living on their own 150-acre ranch -
which Terry calls his "little piece of heaven" - near Kerrville, Texas,
where they raise cattle, horses and exotic deer. "We live in the hill
country, where we have horses and deer, including exotic deer from different
countries - Chinese, African Black Buck, and deer from India. We have
a lot of large oaks, pecan trees, springs, as well as good acorn crops
- a deer's favorite food," explains Terry. A hard-working artist as well
as part-time rancher, Terry has his morning chores done daily before 8:00
or 8:30 a.m., when he sits down to work in his studio.
"Living here on the ranch, I get up very early to take care of the livestock
and various animals," he explains. "We have our publishing company here,
and in the mornings I sign prints that are to be shipped out. I work in
the studio until about 5:30 p.m. I then go back out and do some work here
on the ranch. Then several evenings a week, I work on my new drawings
and preparations for upcoming projects."
The Terrys travel extensively in search of new subjects for Jack's paintings,
and also to visit collectors and dealers in stores and galleries around
the country. "I've met a lot of nice people that way," Jack comments.
"I've really enjoyed working with the individual store owners doing signings
and making friends with our collectors. They are very serious about what
they collect. They know what they like and I admire that. Most collectors
appear to be passionate about the art."
One of Terry's admirers, six-time PRCA World Champion cowboy Larry Mahan
is among those passionate collectors. As he says, "Terry captures the
West the way it was and the way it should be. He is one of the finest
artists of our day and a pretty good cowhand to boot. His horses, cowboys
and landscapes are as good as it gets."
In 1999, Jack wrote and illustrated his first book, "The Great Trail Ride",
a collection of inspirational short stories. "The Great Trail Ride" is
currently in it's second printing. That same year he also painted a series
of sixteen paintings for "Child of the Promise", a book by celebrated
author Stormie Omartian.
In 2000, Jack wrote and illustrated his second and third books, "A Cowboy's
Faith" and "Reflections of a Horseman". In addition, he illustrated a
ladies book by author Dee Appel titled "Friend to Friend". Jack has recently
completed a new book "Prayers Along the Trail" and is currently working
on a new project.
Jack Terry's paintings hang in prominent collections throughout the world
including The King Ranch, Exxon-Mobil, actor Burt Reynolds, Dick Clark,
country singer Travis Tritt, PGA Champion Hal Sutton, Governor Ann Richards,
the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and President George W. Bush.
Jack is the featured artist for the San Antonio Livestock Show and Exposition
for the fourth year in a row. He has also just completed his third painting
in a series for the Former Texas Ranger Foundation as a fund-raiser for
their new History and Education Center in Kerrville.
Jack and Mary Terry have two married daughters and 5 young grandchildren
residing near Georgetown and Dallas. Both families often visit the ranch
and experience many enjoyable adventures.
Jack's hobbies include golfing, fishing and gardening.
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CAO
YONG