Featured Artist Jack McGowan

Plein air painter Jack McGowan captures the enchantment of New Mexico’s landscape in oil. Enjoy his charming portfolio, and visit his website to see more.

 

 

Plein air painting is one of the most fun things that I do. It is my good fortune to live in Santa Fe in Northern New Mexico. I live at the gateway to the Sangre de Cristo mountains, a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The name, which means Blood of Christ in Spanish, was given to these mountains by a Spanish explorer in the 1600’s. It also describes the colors they take on at sunset.

 

 

This simple atmospheric effect, along with the tremendous beauty of the area, is just one of the reasons why it is a wonderful place for an artist to live and work. As an oil painter, I have the wonderful opportunity to paint in the studio. But I also paint plein air in this magical place every chance I get.

 

 

In 2025, I was honored to be named President of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM). PAPNM holds prestigious painting competitions, such as our upcoming 17^th Juried Members Show and Exhibition. The organization also puts on dozens of “paint outs” each year. A paint out is a planned event where multiple painters show up at a specific location to network and paint on location.

 

 

My work is represented at Legends of the West Fine Art in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. The gallery hangs both my studio and plein air work that might be considered realism in Southwestern landscape paintings.

 

 

I began painting in the 1970’s, while living on the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. There I had the opportunity to learn from Alex Seowtewa, a painter known as Michelangelo of the Southwest. I transitioned to a career in energy efficiency and sustainability, leading successful businesses and being inducted to three Halls of Fame for that work.

 

 

Nearly four decades later, I had the chance to pick up a paintbrush again. Since then, I have painted plein air throughout Northern New Mexico and the Southwestern United States. I founded the Milagro Painters Art Marketing Group, using my marketing skills to help members build vibrant art careers.

 

 

It was also exciting to have master painter Bill Gallen invite me to join the Bettina Steinke Group. This coaching and mentorship group is named for the Prix De West award winner. In 2021, I won the Enchanted Sky Award at Paint the Enchanted Circle Invitational in Taos. I’m a member of Oil Painters of America, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, Plein Air Artists of Colorado and of Arizona.

 

 

Over the past several years, I have been juried into a number of prestigious shows. These include the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM) National Juried Show, 2023, 2024, as well as the PAPNM Paint New Mexico Show, the New Mexico Painters Exhibition at New Mexico Highlands University 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and several other shows in New Mexico, Colorado and California.

 

Jack McGowan invites you to follow on LinkedIn.

 

 

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