Welcome to Scott E Jackson Fine Art!

The Journey Behind the Art

A lifelong journey through nature, creativity, and discovery

I was born in Peoria, Illinois, in the late 1950s, but my love of nature began long before I ever thought of myself as an artist.

My father was from Tennessee. He grew up in a time and place where life was simple, and much of his childhood was spent outdoors—hunting, fishing, and learning the woods. When I was a child, he passed that love of the outdoors on to me.

Some of my earliest memories are connected to animals and nature. My father taught me how to raise pigeons, quail, ducks, and other birds. I spent time working with dogs, horses, and other domestic animals. My grandparents were farmers, so agriculture, animals, the land, and the rhythms of nature were simply part of the world I grew up in.

I also loved to draw.

From a young age, animals were among my favorite subjects. I could spend hours putting what I saw onto paper, fascinated by the shapes, expressions, textures, and personalities of the animals around me.

Then, as a teenager, my father and I found another way to pursue our fascination with wildlife.

We started a small taxidermy business.

For me, taxidermy was more than a teenage job. It was another way of studying animals and preserving something of their beauty. It taught me to pay attention to anatomy, texture, detail, and the small characteristics that make every animal unique.

Those lessons would stay with me for the rest of my life.

Finding My Way

After high school, life took me down many different roads.

I married, started working, and became increasingly interested in photography. What began as another creative interest eventually became something I would carry with me throughout my life.

I worked in factories, retail computer sales, pet-related businesses, and other jobs. I served in the United States Army as an electronics repairman, an experience that gave me lifelong memories, friendships, challenges, and a deeper appreciation for service and the people who serve.

But through all those different chapters, something remained constant.

I still wanted to create.

I still wanted to be outdoors.

And I still wanted to work with animals and wildlife.

Life also brought difficult changes. I went through a divorce and eventually remarried. With that new chapter came something I never expected—a chance to experience much more of the country.

And that changed my art forever.

Following the Journey West

I moved from Illinois to Colorado, where I worked in the pet industry servicing pet stores throughout the Front Range and neighboring states.

It was in Estes Park, Colorado, that another door opened.

I discovered wood carving.

There was a carving store in town, and I purchased a video from the owner so I could learn how to carve. I went home, tried it myself, and created a carving.

On my next trip back to Estes Park, I brought it with me.

The shop owner was impressed. He told me that I had a real talent for carving and that my work compared favorably with that of some of his long-term students.

That encouragement meant a great deal to me.

It gave me the confidence to explore yet another way of turning the things I saw in nature into art.

And Colorado itself became a teacher.

My love of nature seemed to go into overdrive.

I spent countless hours exploring the Rocky Mountains, photographing wildlife, studying the landscape, watching the changing light, and simply observing the world around me.

I was learning to see—not just look.

The Journey Continues

Our travels eventually took us to San Francisco, where we lived right on the ocean.

Once again, the environment opened an entirely new world.

The coastline, ocean, birds, marine life, changing weather, and dramatic light gave me endless opportunities to explore with my camera.

Eventually we returned to Colorado for several more years before moving again.

This time, we went to Lake Tahoe.

For me, it was paradise.

I explored with a photographer’s eye and the curiosity of someone who had spent his entire life learning from nature. I photographed the mountains, water, wildlife, forests, weather, and constantly changing light.

I wasn’t simply taking photographs.

I was collecting experiences.

Every place I lived added another chapter to the way I saw the world.

Learning to See a Different Landscape

Our next move took us to Minnesota.

It was another completely different environment, with its own wildlife, forests, lakes, seasons, and character.

I learned from that landscape just as I had learned from Colorado, California, and Lake Tahoe.

Then we moved to Green Lake, Wisconsin.

Something important happened there.

I began drawing again.

After years of photography and exploring different forms of creativity, I returned to something that had been with me since childhood.

The pencil.

I began working in graphite and exploring digital art and watercolor as well.

My photography continued to develop, but so did my ability to create art from what I imagined and remembered.

Wisconsin became an important chapter in my growth as an artist.

I wasn’t simply photographing the world anymore.

I was interpreting it.

Coming Home

Eventually, the journey brought me back to where it began.

Peoria, Illinois.

After traveling through different regions of the country and experiencing mountains, oceans, lakes, forests, wildlife, farms, cities, and countless landscapes, I returned home with something I didn’t have when I left:

A lifetime of experiences to draw from.

Today, I work from my home studio, continuing to develop my photography, graphite and charcoal drawing, watercolor, digital art, airbrush work, and wood carving.

I create wildlife, pets, landscapes, nature-inspired artwork, and pieces inspired by the places I’ve traveled and the experiences that have shaped my life.

Some pieces begin with a photograph.

Some begin with a pencil.

Some begin with a piece of wood.

And some simply begin with a memory.

My work has received awards in photography and other forms of art, but the greatest reward is still the same thing that fascinated me when I was a child:

Seeing something beautiful in nature and finding a way to preserve that feeling.

Art From a Life of Experience

I don’t create art simply because I want something to hang on a wall.

I create because I’ve spent a lifetime learning to appreciate the world around me.

My father gave me my first connection to nature.

My grandparents gave me a connection to the land.

Animals taught me patience and observation.

The Army taught me discipline and gave me experiences that shaped who I became.

Travel taught me to look beyond what was familiar.

Photography taught me to see light and moments.

Drawing taught me to see detail.

Wood carving taught me to work with my hands and discover what could emerge from a piece of wood.

And life taught me that the journey itself can be the greatest teacher.

Today, I want to share what I’ve discovered along the way.

Through my photography, drawings, paintings, carvings, and other artwork, I hope to bring a little of that beauty into your home—and perhaps remind you of a place you’ve loved, an animal you’ve cherished, a memory you’ve carried, or a journey of your own.

Every piece has a story.

And every journey leaves something behind.

I hope you’ll come along with me for the next chapter.

Scott E. Jackson
Artist • Photographer • Creator

Inspired by nature. Shaped by experience. Created to be cherished.