JACK ROBERTS: REDSTONE ARTIST
1920 – 2000
Jack painted the truth and legend of Colorado frontier history. Raised in Oklahoma, he came to Colorado to be a cowboy. Based on these experiences, he began his lifelong art career. In 1969, he built his Redstone studio where he painted for 31 years, turning out as many as 50 paintings a year depicting the frontier spirit. His paintings are found in the Anschutz collection, the Museum of Western Colorado, Redstone Castle and many private collections. Gary Miller, Jack’s son, shares his insight into Jack’s artistic career.
MY DAD
by Gary Miller
Jack Roberts always knew he could draw. As early as eight years old, possibly earlier, Jack was drawing detailed cartoons. The characters all had speaking parts. These were done in a cartoon style, and the story theme was usually about crimes being solved. These might have had a 1930’s theme, or they might have been stories of the old west. But they were amazing. Trust me, these were not stick figures. He could draw people from many angles, and they all seemed to have names.
One example of Jack’s early artistic skills was a grade school experience. He was in a class where they were possibly studying biology. Without warning, the teacher asked Jack to come up to the chalkboard and draw a grasshopper, which he did with accuracy. Without a doubt, you could probably even see the little spikes on the grasshopper’s legs. I bet all of Jack’s teachers knew that he could draw just about anything.
So, this is a good time to point out something about gifted artists. After college in Oklahoma and while back east going to a couple of art schools, Jack also studied under the great Harvey Dunn. Jack idolized Harvey. One of the many things that Harvey taught, Jack had already been using for years. Harvey taught that “it was more important to paint from imagination!” Jack already had this ability, but this helped emphasize it. He could paint Mt. Sopris, for example, from memory, just like he was looking at a photograph.
Jack continued to draw cartoons well into his adulthood. Oil paintings were his main focus and occupied most of his time. But sometimes he could not help but express his frustrations. He often expressed his humor with drawings of things he thought were funny, things he experienced. But his artistic editorial expression was in full bloom for the local newspaper. These were very controversial, and usually they were about political and environmental subjects. Two major issues he took on were the proposed Marble Ski Area Development and the Placita Dam/West Divide Water proposal. Both threatened the outdoor environment along the Crystal River, and both became targets of his satirical cartoons. Real names became recognizable spoofs: Crafty Kenny, Jolley Rolly, & Shifty Scotty. Although the cartoons provoked anger in some circles, they were also credited with making effective points against the developments. The Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) still uses some of these cartoons.
Jack’s oil paintings demonstrate his artistic abilities in many ways, but his early drawings and later cartoons best reveal his quick wit and delight in expressing his personal convictions.
Editor’s note: Gary Miller’s personal accounts of his father’s work capture the artist’s exuberant personality. Jack meticulously researched the historical background for his work and kept a copious collection of photographs, correspondence, clippings, and early drawings in his studio. Gary has been very generous in sharing these for research purposes. For additional information on Jack’s work, see F. Darrell Munsell, Colorado Artist Jack Roberts: Painting the West, available at the Redstone General Store. Photos and paintings are from the Gary Miller Collection.