Doug Jaques

“Art must reach a public. I believe that art should not just stimulate, but also should, at its best, edify the public.” Under the influence of the Chicago School, with its brand of “funky surrealism,” Jaques has distinguished himself as a prominent muralist. His search for a neo-symbolism has led him to create works of art imbued with meaning, parabolic substance, and traces of the transcendent—in short art-as-icon that reflects the magnificence and mystery of creation. Jaques sites other sources of influence as the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Modern collections at the Chicago Art Institute.

With a BFA from John Herron School of Art of Indiana University, and an MFA from the University of Illinois, Jaques has gone on to exhibit in such diverse places as Oxford, England, Dayton, Ohio, and Abilene, Texas. He was named the Austin Chronicle’s Best in Austin for the Mural Category (1998, 1999) and received the City of Austin’s Best in Show for the Austin Design Award in both 1990 and 1993. His work is included in collections at St Antony College, Oxford; Motorola, Austin, TX; All Saints Episcopal Church, Austin, TX; and Concordia University, Austin, TX. Jaques calls himself a maximalist painter, with works ranging in size from 12"x12" to 4'x40'. In his own words: “I love paint. I like to be generous with it. I can appreciate work that is restrained, austere, minimal. But there's that other part of me, the hedonist, the nouveau-riche American, that craves sumptuousness.”