Born in 1947, Jay Wegter is a native Californian whose love with the outdoors had an early start. He remembers with affection the family campouts that opened his eyes to another world. One of the keys that unlocked his passion for nature was the interpretive walks led by his grandmother. These were glorious times of hiking in high sierra meadows, along desert creekbeds, and in colorful canyonlands. They awakened in the artist an appreciation for the details in nature which are easily missed ... a pollen dusted bee, a puddle with tadpoles, a pond made by a beaver dam, a distant thunderhead.

Jay learned to be a keen observer of the natural world. That deep appreciation led him to choose a science major at Cal State Long Beach. He hoped his passion for nature would find fulfillment in a zoology career. But, his desire for nature demanded greater expression than a science lab could provide. Jay changed his major to fine art and began to hone his drawing and painting ability.

After fifteen years in commercial art and illustration the artist began to paint full time. Early in his career, artists Roger Folk and Morton Solberg offered guidance and constructive criticism.

It is the artist's conviction that the viewer will gain greater enjoyment from a painting if he knows something about how the artist thinks and sees. In the artist's own words, 'One of my goals in painting is to transmit to the viewer the feeling I am experiencing when confronted with nature. In order to move the viewer, there must be a synthesis of imagination and reality. I paint so as to interpret the subject but also to capture the truths of nature."

"I've never outgrown that childlike sense of wonder that can't wait to explore a new place. Poised for adventure, one surveys a scene in nature then selects a path to explore and begins his journey. I paint so as to place in my compositions these pathways of discovery.'

"A painting can provide lasting pleasure because it touches a part of us that thirsts for beauty and refreshment of soul. Painted places in nature call us away from our hectic schedules and invite us to reflect and be still."

"It's a privilege to paint these resting places of the soul. For in so doing, I am a student of the handiwork of a wonderful Creator. At times I struggle with what to paint next. For every niche in the universe is filled with complexity and wonder, from the teeming world in a drop of pond water to the vast whirling galaxies in space. There's evidence of majesty everywhere for those who will look."