SW0121 Master Florida Artist Jackson Walker Depicts Grit and Determination in Seminole Wars

The Forlorn Hope of the Fort King Road and Do Your Best depict the Dade battle of Dec. 28, 1835.

 

In a previous episode, Florida-born artist Jackson Walker described how he makes his living with careful craftsmanship and a burning desire to paint the best and most historically accurate work of which he is capable. His paintings span the length of Florida history since first European contact.

In this episode, Jackson Walker hones in on his Seminole War collection of paintings. What went through his mind as he gazed at an empty canvas to begin his big battle scenes, such as those at Okeechobee, Camp Izard, Prospect Bluff, Micanopy, the Wahoo Swamp, and of course that with Major Dade’s Command? How has Jackson Walker depicted Seminole as subjects in their own right? What inspired his moving The Capture of Osceola canvas and what problem did The Gentry Line unexpectedly create? Jackson Walker tackles all these questions and more.   Jackson has been most generous with his time and paintings to the Seminole Wars Foundation, of which he is both past president and life member.

 

 

Seminole Wars scenes include Battle at Camp Izard (which hangs at the Seminole Wars Foundation homestead) and Withlacoochee Abyss.

 

 

 

Eyes to the Okeechobee (above) and The Americans at Barrancas portray Col. Zachary Taylor and Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson.

 

 

 

The Capture of Osceola and the Return to Big Cypress display Jackson Walker's prowess in painting Seminole. 

 

 

Jackson Walker's The Gentry Line, portraying Col. Richard Gentry and his Missouri Volunteers at the Battle of Okeechobee, stirred controversy for unexpected reasons. 

 

See more from Jackson Walker at thejwstudio.com and find his wearable art at seminolewars.org

 

 

 

Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a combat veteran and of the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kosovo, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. A military historian, he holds masters degrees in Public History, Communication, and Homeland Security, and is a graduate of the US Army War College with an advanced degree in strategic studies. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 

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