Lorne Loomer is a soft-spoken teacher who has continued Jack's brush work classes at the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts (MISSA). Lorne began as a student and became one of many who admired Jack's artistic expression and powerful, almost wordless teaching style. (interviewed by Angela Andersen, Metchosin, B.C., February 2001)

He's a very difficult person to describe. I don't think I can describe him in words. I have been teaching Jack's course that he taught at the Metchosin Summer School for 10 years. In that week's workshop, I try to pass on what Jack had taught us in that way, because Jack goes beyond language. He didn't say much.

Lie Down As Dead Jack Wise

People have claimed to have known him and had a wonderful conversation with him. Well, what did he say? They reply, "Well, not much. Jack and I had the most wonderful conversation, but Jack didn't say anything." Jack goes beyond words, in my opinion, so I really couldn't say anything [about him]. He was a very powerful person, and he did much of that without speaking. He had several chops (a type of stamp, carved in the Chinese tradition), and the biggest chop, which was a privilege to get on your work, said "teaching without words". I was very lucky to be in one class on mandala painting. In 40 years of teaching, he just taught it that once.

He was very sick, and he asked me to show his slides. The faculty at MISSA were obliged to do one evening presentation. I said, "I'll do anything for you, you know that. But you know I don't understand it." He said, "You know, I don't understand it either, Lorne, just show the slides." All those intricate mandalas are super-human in their fineness. He didn't know either where it came from. He called it "A postcard from another place".

People from his courses carry a little bit of Jack around with them. It's not anything we can describe, we can just feel it. I think for all of us, young and old, who have been students of his, some aspect of it is always there. The last time I saw him, I looked at him, we held hands and smiled - we never spoke. I knew he was unwell on Denman, but you couldn't tell- he sounded manly and deep on the phone. The last time we spoke, I fumbled for words to let him know I was sorry about his condition. He said, "Don't worry, Lorne, it's O.K. I'll be with you at the point of the brush."

The course I teach is about the things I felt about him. I took his course for 4 years. It's easy to remember what he said, because we only talked two times in those classes in four years. The message is still very indelible and very clear because it's a very simple story. For those of us who loved him, he had a lot of insights after a lifetime, but he never put them out there as a grand thing, just in the way of the midwestern farmer that he was.