Jake Gaedtke

Like most landscape painters Jake loved the outdoors and he grew up spending a great deal of time
camping, fishing, hiking and exploring. As a teenager Jake's parents allowed him to take the two year
Famous Artist Course for Young People; a correspondence art course that started him on a path of
learning and discovery of the art world. A high school art teacher fresh out of college bellowed the fire
inside of Jake through his passion, enthusiasm, and love for drawing, painting, and art history. His
personal interest in Jake's learning and growing as an artist is something that has never left him.
Unfortunately, other teachers and friends convinced Jake of the old stereotype that one cannot make a
living as an artist and he took on other career paths including graphic design and advertising. It was
still creative and offered a good pay check, but it was fine art that really beckoned him. After years of
struggling with his desire Jake finally took classes from the famed illustrator Gene Hoffman at the
University of Northern Colorado. They developed a friendship and through his mentoring and
encouragement helped him grow closer to making the break as a full time artist. He was able to do
illustration work for a number of clients and advertising firms. Jake spent a lifetime drawing and
painting figuratives on the side, but always wanted to learn to paint landscapes and the natural world he
was so close to. A plein air workshop with the landscape painter Jay Moore finally convinced him that
this is what he wanted to do. He was hooked. Jake took two more workshops with Jay when he invited
Jake to take his newly formed one-on-one Mentorship program. After five grueling months of
extremely hard work and study, Jake's growth as an artist took a professional turn and he hasn't looked
back since.
Jake is a founding member and board member of the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters. He is also a
member of the Oil Painters of America, California Art Club, and The Outdoor Painters Society, and the
American Impressionists Society. His work is in private and public collections throughout the United
States and Europe.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 14^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.