| Issue #28 - October 3, 2008 |
Honoring the Artist: Jack Wilentz
While this week's cover artist, Jack Wilentz, spent many years as a stock broker, his passion for art is a guiding force in his life. We find it fascinating that perhaps his artistic penchant for the outdoors and local scenes may be the result of having spent 43 years on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Q: This week's cover features the Amagansett Farmers Market. Where else are your favorite places to paint and place your works?
A: I've done paintings for every store owned by the Zabar Family in New York, including the well-known Zabar's on Broadway and The Vinegar Factory. In fact, Eli Zabar gave me an art show a few years ago.
Q: I know that you have training as a stock broker, but how about as an artist?
A: I have an M.B.A. from Columbia, but I am self-taught as an artist. However, my wife is a graduate of Parsons School of Design.
Q: How did you first get into the stock market?
A: My grandfather was in the profession and would take me to his brokerage firm when I was very young. I remember writing stock information on the blackboard when it came in on the tickertaper. Now, of course, it's all automatic. I respect technology, but I still use a typewriter to type letters.
Q: You come from a distinguished family, don't you?
A: My father was a doctor and a national authority on lead poisoning. My uncle was a prosecutor for the New Jersey Attorney General in the Lindbergh case.
Q: Although you're retired, you lead a full life. Besides painting, what keeps you busy?
A: I play the piano. By ear. In fact, I play at a coffee shop in New York every Tuesday at 6 p.m. It's called Beanocchio's. I have a list of about 100 show tunes I play, and I can play classical music, too. I also play golf and try my best to beat the younger players.
Q: Let's get back to the stock exchange. I bet it was stressful.
A: Yes. I was an independent broker on the floor It was chaotic, lots of anxiety. Lots of screaming and yelling.
Q: What were some disadvantages of being on the floor?
A: You had to make sure there was a buyer and a seller in the transaction. You can't sell to a seller. Another disadvantage is all the orders are thrown at a broker at once. You have only three minutes to do the exchange.
Q: I guess you painted in order to relax from all of this. You love to do local scenes all over the world, right?
A: Yes. I've done prints of restaurants in Paris, for example, and they hang them up in their restaurant. I've done paintings from photographs of of the Greek Islands and Italy.
Q: You said you were self-taught as an artist. But you must have had encouragement along the way.
A: I remember I was home from school one day and did a charcoal of the back of houses. My father saw what I did, said it was terrific and then said, "Do it in watercolor." I did, and it won a prize. I'll never forget that.
- Marion Wolberg Weiss
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