Easily one of B.C.'s best-known painters, Jack Leonard Shadbolt had more exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery than any other artist. Born on February 4, 1909 in Shoeburyness, England, he came to B.C. in 1912. He graduated from teachers' college in Victoria, taught art to children in Duncan and Vancouver in the 1930s, met Emily Carr, studied in New York and Europe and joined the Vancouver School of Art in 1938. After serving as a war artist, he resumed his teaching career until 1966. He co-founded the Vancouver Institute for the Visual Arts with his wife Doris Shadbolt and co-founded Artists for Kids Trust.

Jack Shadbolt published three books aside from collections of his work. They are a collection of poetry, Mind's I (1973); a study of his own art called In Search of Form (McClelland & Stewart, 1968); and Act of Art: The Image Making Process (McClelland & Stewart, 1981) containing 80 full colour plates. His work has appeared on the covers of several books including a literary anthology edited by Gary Geddes and Audrey Thomas' novel Latakia. The recipient of many awards, Shadbolt is the subject of critical studies by former Vancouver Art Gallery curator Scott Watson and UBC's Marjorie Halpin who wrote Jack Shadbolt and the Coastal Indian Image (UBC Press, 1986). Patricia Ainslie compiled Jack Shadbolt Correspondences (Calgary: Glenbow-Alberta Institute, 1991). He died in 1999.

[BCBW 2003] "Art"