John Paul Braman was born in Eugene, Oregon, in 1951. He was born into a family that was talented and appreciative of the arts. Jack’s grandmother painted and wrote poetry. His grandfather played the violin and his mother attended art school. Jack started drawing at an early age and by the time he was six, he had decided on becoming a professional artist. That early decision, along with encouragement from his family, was to stay with Jack throughout his youth.

Jack attended college in 1974, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a Fine Arts Degree. He has worked as a full-time, professional artist since graduation and has won numerous awards while showing his work in galleries in the Northwest and Southwest states.

Jack believes that his greatest training and understanding has come from the countless hours he has spent observing and painting the landscape. Jack paints primarily in acrylics, striving not only to capture the character of the land, but the mood experienced by the senses.

Jack camps, hikes, and explores the landscape in search of the beauty which inspires his paintings. In the field, Jack sketches, photographs, paints, and absorbs the emotions that will be used to finish each painting in the controlled environment of his studio.

Jack has a home and studio in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, Jeanne. They have three grown children, and four grandchildren that love to paint with "Grandpa" in his studio.

In a world that he often thinks is too busy and demanding, Jack chooses to paint scenes which are calming, evoking a sense of tranquility for the viewer, as well as serving as a reminder to him, the significance of maintaining a delicate balance in all that he does.

Jack Braman’s paintings of the landscape are more than a representation of the visual beauty, they express the emotional and spiritual relationship he feels for the landscape.

As often as possible, Jack loads his backpack with a sketchpad, pencils, a few paints, and his camera and ventures out into the wilderness to re-ignite his passion, and expand on his interrelationship with the landscape.

As Jack hikes further from the confusions of civilization, and deeper into the natural world where the simplicity of life is realized and transitions are subtle, all that becomes important is what is experienced along the path. The mind, tranquilized by the serene sounds, travels to deeper thoughts. The heart, pierced by the beauty, fills with emotions. The soul, humbled by the realities of God’s creations, celebrates. And for a time, the mind, the heart, and the soul dance as one.

This harmonious dance is what Jack refers to as the poetry of life. It is during this dance that the spirit of the artist emerges, inspirations are formed, and paintings receive life.

Not all of Jack’s time exploring the landscape is in poetic bliss. Numerous hours are spent painfully traversing hillsides, maneuvering his way along creeks where there are no trails, struggling with the elements of the weather, and dealing with irritating insects.

Whatever pains are experienced, they are overpowered by his quest for a better understanding of the shapes, lights, and colors that collectively provide each landscape with a unique character.

Whether Jack is out in the landscape or in the solitude of his studio, he paints with a non-compromising determination to deliver paintings that are structurally sound, color accurate, and compositionally pleasing. Jack paints with more than knowledge and understanding, he paints with emotions that give his paintings life, and a spiritual gratitude that endow his paintings with significance.