Hello people! My name is Jay Jack. As a young man growing up in Washington state, I was faced with a tough choice; pursue a career in art and design or leverage my math and science abilities to become an engineer. I discovered what seemed like a good compromise and got a degree in Industrial Design. Alas, Industrial Design jobs were few and far between when I graduated, so next thing you know, I’m on a career path to becoming an electrical engineer and pushing my creative aspirations aside. In 2020, nearing retirement, my wife (Nan) and I decided to move from Washington to Montana. It was a crazy process (something about a pandemic?), yet somehow, by the spring of 2021 we were moving to Philipsburg, Montana. And by 2023, I had hung up the old calculator and retired from engineering.

Today, with my creative aspirations rejuvenated, I’ve started what I call 100 Wild Juniper, an arts and crafts business. I make wood items from Juniper (mostly wood I find on our property), and I also draw landscapes, wildlife, and similar outdoor subjects (primarily pen & ink, and colored pencil). You can learn more about my story by following me on social media and via my website. Links to follow soon.

Other interests:

• Flyfishing

• Photography

• Hiking

• Home Renovation (and greenhouse building)

• Gardening (to the minimum extent my wife can persuade me)

• Forest Management (my kind of gardening!)

• Outdoor time with Goldie, our 2-year old English Setter (usually combined with one of the above activities)