J.A. SOUKUP

JA Soukup specializes in landscape and nautical oil paintings in the traditional realism style. Though he has no formal art training, his work has been the subject of magazine covers, articles, and museum collections.

As a child, he was naturally preoccupied with drawing, sculpting, or any other artistic endeavor that would entertain his mind. His artistic preoccupation has continued into his adult years.

Born in Houston, Texas, his family soon relocated to the nearby shores of Galveston Bay. During those formative years, the scenes and stories of the bay gave inspiration which still reflects in his art today. SOUKUP was fascinated by the wealth of nature, but also the history and maritime lore at hand, feeding his imagination. He began to study working boats and sailing ships in his youth. He sketched them, and built models of them as well. At this early age he also became inspired by maritime artists such as Winslow Homer, Montague Dawson and others who had the ability to romanticize the sea.

In his adult years, JA Soukup continues with his maritime subjects, but has adopted a new interest in some old artistic techniques. He more recently has become interested in the 19th century American landscape movement known as the Hudson River School. Today, he barrows from these artist in what is also referred to as luminist art. Here, it doesn’t matter if the foreground subject is of land or sea, the sky must be rendered with light, color or drama.

JA Soukup holds a B.A. in Anthropology and had worked for some years in contract field archeology, an interest that stems from his passion for local history. Consequently, his paintings at times incorporate historical subjects, and using the techniques of the old masters, offers a culmination of historical illustration in a romanticized style.