news, latest-news, Jack Featherstone, nigel featherstone, artist Jack Featherstone
Braidwood artist Jack Featherstone paints because he loves it, not to impress anyone or to earn any kudos, according to his son, the Goulburn writer Nigel Featherstone. That lack of pretense permeates all of Jack’s life. He lives in a small house in Braidwood, a former school room transported from the Araluen Valley. He’s lived there for more than 20 years. He’s a former dentist from the north shore of sydney who is not remotely interested in the material world and is best described by his son as a “loveable eccentric”. He says his father’s home is like a “badly curated museum”, full of the flotsam and jetsam of a full life. His father sometimes fixes his clothes with wire. He doesn’t care if people like his paintings or not. He’s not out to impress. But he loves painting and he loves his community. It’s probably this distinct lack of desire to be a player in the art world that has led Jack to staging only his third art exhibition in his 91 years of life. Jack, John and Kempsey – a nod to Jack’s various names – will be opened by ACT Arts Minister Tara Cheyne at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre on Saturday, February 6. Jack will be at the opening to give a speech and is saving his strength until then, Nigel left to be his spokesperson in the meantime. Jack, who turns 92 on March 22, has struggled with a recent health challenge but had barely slowed down. Until his health scare, he used to climb Mount Gillamatong behind Braidwood three times a week. “Which is pretty amazing for 91,” Nigel says. Described as a naive, magic realist, even outsider artist, Jack was “discovered” by Nigel Ledon from the ANU School of Art in 2010, leading to Jack’s second ever exhibition, at the School of Art. (The first was in Sydney in the 1940s). His paintings have gained popularity since that 2010 exhibition and the Jack, John and Kempsey is a showing of paintings from 1958 to 2020 that remain in his possession. Born in Adelaide, Jack moved to Sydney in the 1930s with his parents and three sisters (including twin sister Mary, who now lives in Bega). He worked as a dentist in Sydney until he was 70, much of his career spent with the Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern. But he also always painted. “I think he took it up very seriously in his 20s and he’s been doing it every day really since then,” Nigel says. “It’s not the story of someone who retires and takes up painting because they’re bored. He’s actually painted his own life.” Self-taught, Jack paints landscapes and townscapes with oils but his art has also been part of his eccentricity. “He’s painted with nails from a hardware store, he’s painted on bark, he’s painted on boots, he’s painted on bits of styrofoam,” Nigel says. “He does a lot of the main street of Braidwood and none of the buildings are where they are meant to be.” Nigel persuaded his father to move to Braidwood more than 20 years ago, thinking he would enjoy the arts focus of the town. He’s now a well-loved member of the community “When I’m with him, walking up the main street, it takes half an hour to walk 100 metres because everyone stops to say hello to him,” Nigel says. Jack was proud to be invited by the Tuggeranong Arts Centre to show his work. “He’s never played the game whatsoever but he is quietly thrilled and I think over the last few months with his health challenge, this is the thing that’s kept him fired up,” Nigel says. Visitors to the exhibition can also see a documentary of Jack’s life by Anna Georgia and access a beautiful online essay called The Gift of a Father written by Nigel, which includes two poems read by Jack. “The idea is when people go to see the show they see Jack’s paintings and they also see the documentary and there’ll be a QR code and they can scan on the phone and they can read the essay,” Nigel says. And, after the show, Jack will probably just be keen to get back to Braidwood to feed the chooks.
/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/32suSVsqH3pdw6NJyh92X9D/0ffa8bbd-177d-4be9-a4df-575bceef251c.jpg/r24_0_3516_1973_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Braidwood artist Jack Featherstone paints because he loves it, not to impress anyone or to earn any kudos, according to his son, the Goulburn writer Nigel Featherstone.
That lack of pretense permeates all of Jack’s life. He lives in a small house in Braidwood, a former school room transported from the Araluen Valley. He’s lived there for more than 20 years. He’s a former dentist from the north shore of sydney who is not remotely interested in the material world and is best described by his son as a “loveable eccentric”. He says his father’s home is like a “badly curated museum”, full of the flotsam and jetsam of a full life. His father sometimes fixes his clothes with wire. He doesn’t care if people like his paintings or not. He’s not out to impress. But he loves painting and he loves his community.
Jack Featherstone’s Moree with Catholic Mission Redfern Series 1983. Picture: Supplied
It’s probably this distinct lack of desire to be a player in the art world that has led Jack to staging only his third art exhibition in his 91 years of life. Jack, John and Kempsey – a nod to Jack’s various names – will be opened by ACT Arts Minister Tara Cheyne at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre on Saturday, February 6.
Jack will be at the opening to give a speech and is saving his strength until then, Nigel left to be his spokesperson in the meantime. Jack, who turns 92 on March 22, has struggled with a recent health challenge but had barely slowed down. Until his health scare, he used to climb Mount Gillamatong behind Braidwood three times a week. “Which is pretty amazing for 91,” Nigel says.
Described as a naive, magic realist, even outsider artist, Jack was “discovered” by Nigel Ledon from the ANU School of Art in 2010, leading to Jack’s second ever exhibition, at the School of Art. (The first was in Sydney in the 1940s). His paintings have gained popularity since that 2010 exhibition and the Jack, John and Kempsey is a showing of paintings from 1958 to 2020 that remain in his possession.
Born in Adelaide, Jack moved to Sydney in the 1930s with his parents and three sisters (including twin sister Mary, who now lives in Bega). He worked as a dentist in Sydney until he was 70, much of his career spent with the Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern. But he also always painted.
Jack Featherstone’s Walgett Redfern series 1983. Picture: Supplied
“I think he took it up very seriously in his 20s and he’s been doing it every day really since then,” Nigel says.
“It’s not the story of someone who retires and takes up painting because they’re bored. He’s actually painted his own life.”
Self-taught, Jack paints landscapes and townscapes with oils but his art has also been part of his eccentricity.
Jack Featherstone’s Manar 2020. Picture: Supplied
“He’s painted with nails from a hardware store, he’s painted on bark, he’s painted on boots, he’s painted on bits of styrofoam,” Nigel says.
“He does a lot of the main street of Braidwood and none of the buildings are where they are meant to be.”
Nigel persuaded his father to move to Braidwood more than 20 years ago, thinking he would enjoy the arts focus of the town. He’s now a well-loved member of the community
“When I’m with him, walking up the main street, it takes half an hour to walk 100 metres because everyone stops to say hello to him,” Nigel says.
Jack Featherstone with his son, the writer Nigel Featherstone, who has penned a beautiful essay for his father’s exhibition, called The Gift of a Father. Picture: Supplied
Jack was proud to be invited by the Tuggeranong Arts Centre to show his work. “He’s never played the game whatsoever but he is quietly thrilled and I think over the last few months with his health challenge, this is the thing that’s kept him fired up,” Nigel says.
Visitors to the exhibition can also see a documentary of Jack’s life by Anna Georgia and access a beautiful online essay called The Gift of a Father written by Nigel, which includes two poems read by Jack.
“The idea is when people go to see the show they see Jack’s paintings and they also see the documentary and there’ll be a QR code and they can scan on the phone and they can read the essay,” Nigel says.
And, after the show, Jack will probably just be keen to get back to Braidwood to feed the chooks.
- Jack, John and Kempsey, Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Reed Street, Greenway February 6 to March 27.
