Artwork copyright Jack McLarty. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Jack McLarty. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.

The Pool, 1976

Jack McLarty
(American, born 1919, died 2011)

Location: Capitol Campus Child Care Center - Maple Park, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Pool is a colorful painting created by artist Jack McLarty. He based the imagery on sketches he made on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. He used horizontal bands of color to create the feeling of a swimming pool. He notes, "The light, bright and clear, above the water – and then getting darker and darker as the water gets deeper. The figures below water waver and change shape. The light falling on the surface waves makes spots and stripes on the swimmers. The underwater world is mysterious and strange but beautiful."

This artwork is part of a curated collection by Renee Adams for the Maple Park Capitol Campus Child Care Center in Olympia. The art selection committee wanted the art to be mainly for the children. They wanted to focus on Northwest artists from diverse backgrounds and geographies, and artworks with color and nature-inspired imagery. The Child Care Center has six classrooms, as well as outdoor classrooms and play spaces, for eighty-four children.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Kelso School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Oregon artist Jack McLarty (1919-2011) created surreal paintings and prints. Born in Seattle, he was raised in Portland, Oregon, where he lived most of his life. He studied at the Portland Museum Art School (now the Pacific Northwest College of Art) and the American Artists School in New York City, returning to Portland in 1942. From 1947 until his retirement in 1981, he taught art at the Portland Museum School. He and his wife Barbara Lever established Image Gallery in 1961. They exhibited work by contemporary Pacific Northwest, Native Alaskan, and Mexican artists until 1986. His work is collected by the Portland Art Museum and Seattle Art Museum, among others.