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

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

The Garden, 1978

Jack McLarty
(American, born 1919, died 2011)

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

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Garden is a colorful painting created by artist Jack McLarty. He based the imagery on the community garden shared by retirees at his mother's apartment building. He filled the composition with all kinds of plants, animals, and insects. He notes, "Plants are born, grow, flower and die. The dog buries a bone; it turns into a plant and grows. A plant pushes up through the earth; it turns into a flower and the flower turns into a lady's hat. The moles and rabbits and bugs and people all depend on the plants. The plants are partly ourselves and we are partly plants."

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 Sumner 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.