Self-portrait
Oil on canvas
Circa 1970
NFS
When asked why the artist painted himself as an amputee, he replied that he was using that arm to paint with, so he left it off.
BIO
Born in Pasadena, Joe Jaqua (1938-2023) was led into the art world by a group of malcontent eighth graders that slouched against stucco walls and drew pictures the average nun would’ve torn into little pieces. In high school he continued his studies learning things like color wheels and vanishing points.
In his senior year he spent Saturday mornings at the Art Center School in Los Angeles at figure drawing classes. He also learned about the history of art, first being influenced by the Impressionists, but later by the art movement as a whole.
He entered the Marine Corps after graduating from High School, continued to draw, and upon completion of his military service he spent two years at Pasadena City College, continuing his pursuit of art and knowledge. He transferred to the state university in SF but finding the art department there specialized in promoting therapeutic confessionals, he focused on Literature instead.
Within a year or two after graduating with no major plays or novels completed, painting began to take over his creative impulses once more, and soon turpentine and red sables took the place of typewriters. He moved to Marin County where he linked art with odd jobs and studied sculpture and printmaking at the College of Marin.
Jaqua bought his own etching press and worked in that medium for several years. And although he also studied three-dimensional work, particularly figure sculpture, he eventually limited his mediums to oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels.
Early in his art career, he spent time living and working in Taos. He was greatly inspired by the Indigenous communities in New Mexico and made a bit of a name for himself there as an "up-and-coming Indian artist", and though his great grandmother was Native American, after a time the attention didn't sit well with him as he felt he was "just a guy from LA".
Drawing continued to be a major factor in Jaqua’s approach to his work, with a certain leaning toward light, color, and motion. Over the decades, his motifs ranged from busy cityscapes, to landscapes and vineyards of Northern California where he resided most of his adult life, to vibrant scenes of cities around Europe where he traveled, to lush interiors and erotic figures.
Known mainly as a Californian artist, Jaqua’s award-winning work has been shown in galleries and juried exhibits throughout the United States, featured in art magazines, books, and periodicals. He is the winner of multiple awards and prizes, and his work is included in numerous corporate and private collections throughout the States and beyond.
Joe lived in Seattle with his daughter and son-in-law before he passed in June of 2023. He continued drawing till the day he died. In his words, “There is always something to create and to let that opportunity evaporate is not an option.”
We – Joe’s daughter and son-in-law – are honored to have his remaining collection in our care. During the last few years of his life he lived with us here in Seattle and continued drawing and painting until the day he died. His art brings us endless amounts of joy and comfort as we continue to be awed by his enormous talent and dedication to his craft.