Among the American forces evacuated from
China over the Himalayas via the "Burma Hump" in
1942 was one Jackson Pinkham. Pearl Harbor had brought an
abrupt end to a two year sojourn in China, a stay which included
first-hand experience of "gunboat diplomacy," while
stationed near Chunking with the Navy, but also exposure to
an ancient culture to which his artist's instincts could not
fail to respond. Following his creative intuition would eventually
lead him to the other side of the Pacific, albeit a few miles
inland, to Round Valley.
Jack grew up in New Mexico and Arizona,
the homelands of the Navajo and Apache, peoples of another
culture that he would turn to for inspiration in work throughout
his life. As a boy he carved whatever he could get his hands
on, wood, stone or soap, for which he earned his mother's
scoldings in the Hard Times of the Great Depression. At twelve
he crafted a chest entirely of wood, hinges included, with
which he still delights visiting children. Unschooled in formal
technique, Jack had plenty of opportunities to make his own
mistakes and create his own solutions to artistic challenges
as they arose.
Whether sculpting, making pesto for his
friends, or creating a studio/gallery of the Pinkhams' home,
Jack has always approached his work with an exuberant vitality.
His is an Homeric creation process, a surrender of conscious
purpose in order to follow where the Muse may lead. Without
ignoring technique, as his fine jewelry pieces reflect, he
stresses the importance of not making it the master, but rather
the servant of the artist.
The years following China found Jack, in
India, Trinidad, and New York among other places. In New York
he met a kindred spirit, Mildred Norseen, a voice teacher
from Brooklyn. Declaring to a friend, "That's the girl
I'm going to go to marry," he followed through on his
promise in due time. Moving first to Vancouver, British Columbia,
where they lived on a remote island, 1966 found them living
in San Francisco. They lived here, on Potrero Ave., for twenty
years, Jack sculpting and Mimi teaching.
Since moving to Round Valley in 1986, Jack
has worked on various projects, including the totem portal
shown in photos on this and following pages. At the moment
he is finishing up a book on his experiences in China and
poring over a cache of recently discovered photos. These photos
are from negatives Jack smuggled out of China in his peacoat
and were long thought lost, but with their fortuitous discovery,
the assistance of his niece and nephew, and a home computer,
Jack can now draw out another story, as he has drawn the stories
hidden in wood, bronze, and soap.
