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Me & Thoreau

Imagine yourself in a train
station on the outskirts
of Prague. What are your
feelings?

I'd rather be at home by
the fireplace in the
living room.

But what will you speak
of later?

I'll speak of the
ecstasy of warmth.

But you'll have no
memories. Regret
will haunt you. You'll
be an old man with an
uneventful past.

I want warmth.

Well, let's say we fly
to Egypt then.

I've been there. It's
like boot camp with
pyramids.

Well, what place do
you talk about with
friends?

David City.

Where is that?

It's about 8 miles
from Shelby.

Jack Carter

My tiny space in the Art World is present in my individual artist books, most of which rest on shelves in my garage-studio, though there are a good number out there with the "lucky few"....They are full of illustrated aphorisms, designed to please the anointed and infuriate the other 42%.

Let me quote three—

1. Imagine yourself in a train station on the outskirts of Prague. What are your feelings?
I'd rather be at home by the fireplace.
But what will you speak of later?
I'll speak of the ecstasy of warmth.

2. Don't say "the end" til you've spotted the very last star.

3. By every means possible—every day—get to know the "Outsiders."

Exhibiting at the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum in 1998 (where he was billed as "The Careless Amateur"), Jack's art and illustrated aphorisms have also been shown at the Fine Arts Gallery, College of Marin; the Sebastopol Center for the Arts; the San Jose Book Show; the Fine Books Division of the San Francisco Public Library; the Pacific Center for Books, Fort Mason; and the ladies room at the Silver Peso in Larkspur. A native of Nebraska, he holds a masters degree from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, trained in submarines in World War II, and worked for 30 years as a freelance public relations and fundraising sycophant on San Francisco's Montgomery Street.

Jack began exhibiting at Quicksilver in the mid-1980's, when the gallery was still located in Guerneville. At the same time he wrote a weekly column for the local paper (The Russian River News) under the pen name MB Bird. His aphorisms, reflections, and quirky River stories always reflected his wit, observant eye, and his love for the Russian River and it's many inhabitants. Jack continued to show both his artwork and his artist books at Quicksilver in Sebastopol and Forestville until the gallery closed at the end of 2013—also a relationship spanning nearly 30 years.

Available Artwork by Jack Carter

click images for larger view

"October 22, 2011"



"It is Far Better to Remain + Complain Than to Run + Scream"	"Say You End Up In Memphis"



"Sketchbook December 22, 2003"	"Portrait of the Artist as a Model"	"6/10 Sketchbook"

Carter's entire body of work, including nearly 200 artist books with more than a thousand original paintings, 2 novels, and 400 pocket books describing encounters with both the good folk and the other 42% in his many unplanned perambulations around San Francisco, San Rafael, and other Northern California locations, is all available at a negotiable price.

Jack Carter

Available Artwork by Jack Carter

Please email Khysie for more information about Jack's available artwork