The name Jack Lee McLean is known for his paintings of North American scenes but his complete work covers scenes from all over the world.It was said that he painted the West and preserved for all future generations that magnificent and romantic era of bygone America that we often fantasize about. He invited you into the painting to become part of the West, both past and present, by taking a magnificent journey via his powerful and realistic paintings of the cowboy, the Indian, the packer, and of course, his trademark, the work horse. He has a characteristic style that compels the viewer to walk into the dramatic and tranquil scenes and become part of the scene rather than just a viewer.He liked to say that his studio was the beautiful and lofty Rocky Mountains of the West so he was able to paint the landscape of The United States and Canada in the most passionate way possible.
Born in 1924 and raised in Vancouver, McLean as a teenager undertook his commercial art training and then served in the Royal Canadian Air Force where he continued his art career by painting illustrations and murals.One of these murals depicted Canada from coast to coast and measured sixty feet long and ten feet high.
Sine that early stage of McLean’s immensely successful art career spanning over fifty years, he has accurately documented the history of the American and Canadian West in over 1500 paintings. He has received and enjoyed substantial worldwide recognition for his work for publishers, museums and clientele who have purchased his paintings for enjoyment, investment and the preservation of the Western past.
Jack was an avid skier who would return to the Canadian Rockies each winter to ski in the hills that he was most familiar with. In 2003, he returned as usual and spent a vigorous afternoon skiing and then went back to his daughter’s home where he sat in his favorite chair and quietly passed away.A fitting exit for man who loved the outdoors, the high altitudes and the freedom of skiing.