Jack Lestrade at Pitzer's Fine Arts

JACK LESTRADE - BIOGRAPHY
Painter of watercolor and oils.


If the eye makes an artist, then observation is my artistic philosophy - to see and understand where one is, to respect people and places as they are, to try to keep situations free of complications, and to be an honest individual.
Lestrade was influenced to draw by the beauty of his homeland in southwestern France. He emigrated to California where he became a successful commercial artist later retired and begin painting fulltime. He worked closely with Donald Teague, a good friend and noted watercolorist.

JACK LESTRADE was born in South West France, in Gascony.
He has always been attracted to traveling to special places to do what he likes the most, painting.
Self-taught, he spent five years in Canada and more than forty years in the United States of America. He became well established as an internationally respected watercolor artist. (He paints also in oil).

Jack was an A.O.A. (Artist of America)"MASTER" in Denver, Colorado, having exhibited in their annual, national art show for 16 years.
He has shown at the "GILCREASE MUSEUM" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the "NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN" in New York City, the “NATIONAL ACADEMY OF WESTERN ART” (NAWA) in Oklahoma City, the "COLORADO HISTORY MUSEUM" of Denver, Colorado, the “GREAT AMERICAN ARTISTS” show in Cincinnati, Ohio and has been published in several nationally known art magazines such as "AMERICAN ARTIST", "ARTISTS OF THE ROCKIES AND THE GOLDEN WEST ", "SOUTHWEST ART","WESTERN ART DIGEST", "FOCUS", as well as being featured in four watercolor books published by NORTH LIGHT Books Publishing Co. in the U.S. and by QUARTO PUBLISHING in England on the Art of Watercolor Painting.
He has participated in numerous "one-man shows" and his work is in many public
and private collections around the world.

Jack and his pianist, organist, singer and song writer wife Judy BLAIR, reside most of the year in the Lot region in South West France, dividing their time between France and the United States.

He is a member of “Artists' Fellowship” of New York City, and was a member of the “Arts et Lettres de France”, an international cultural association for whom he showed his paintings for the first time in France ( Montauban, and Toulouse) from 2004 to 2007, winning a prize and a silver medal.
He belongs to “LA MAISON des ARTISTES", and is listed at the famous "DROUOT COTATION".

He is represented in Wimberley, Texas by "PITZER'S FINE ARTS".