Bio
Jack’s passion for birding and outdoor adventures grew from trips to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, PA, where his grandparents took him each year to hike and witness the autumn raptor migration. He flipped through field guides for fun as a kid, all the while memorizing North American bird species’ names and plumage. He is privileged to have gone birding with illustrator David Sibley as well as trip leader Adrian Binns, and prefers Sibley’s field guides for use in bird identification. Jack plans to write and illustrate his own series of field guides in the near future.
Having drawn from a very young age (around 4 years old), Jack credits God with providing his artistic talent and interest. He improved his drawing skillset largely by trial-and-error as well as through repetition, making a drawing almost every day. He has not taken any formal art classes, and instead learned many of his techniques by reading books written by two leading figures in the birding and nature art world, John Muir (Jack) Laws and David Sibley. He usually works in watercolor and mixed media, but isn’t afraid to try new mediums like digital and acrylic.
Jack became hooked on nature journaling when he realized that he could combine his two interests–birding and drawing–by taking a notebook and pencil with him in the field and documenting the species he saw from life. He is grateful to John Muir Laws for his instruction, books and workshops, which have helped Jack immensely as he grows in his own nature journaling practice. Jack aims to spread the joy of nature journaling to others through workshops and tutorials, and regularly works with local nature centers and organizations to bring nature journaling to the public.
Jack has Bachelor of Science in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University, with a specialization in Ornithology and Interpretation. He also sells products featuring his original watercolor nature illustrations through his business, Jack Hobe Nature Art. Visit his Etsy Shop to see bird-themed notecards, fine art prints, stickers, and notepads.
In his spare time, Jack enjoys a plethora of hobbies and interests, including filling way too many bird feeders, planting native plants to attract wildlife, building scale model aircraft, running model trains, collecting Star Wars paraphernalia, following Formula One racing, and archery. He resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and often visits nearby natural areas like Peace Valley Nature Center and Hawk Mountain.