Off Long Beach
Jack Akroyd
Poster paint
18 x 24 in.
Value: $410.00
Rental per month: $8.00
Jack Akroyd was born in Halifax, England in 1921. He began working at the age of 16 as a railroad engineering apprentice in England. During World War II he joined the Royal Air Force as an aircraft mechanic stationed in Canada. In 1947, he emigrated to Ontario to work as a machinist in the CNR roundhouse at Capreol.
It only took 18 months in Capreol before he quit the CNR job to enroll at the Ontario College of Art in 1949. After graduating in 1953, Jack moved to the West Coast, taking on various jobs. Jack landed a full-time job as a draftsman with a Vancouver consulting engineering firm. He sketched and painted in his spare time and between jobs.
In 1961, he declared himself a freelance artist. Jack is quoted as saying “I figured if I could generate $100 per month, I could make it.” As not many of his early works sold, Jack supported himself by helping local sculptors. While Jack remained comparatively unknown on the West Coast, his work has been sought after elsewhere. There are several collectors of Akroyd paintings in Ottawa. Jack died in Vancouver on March 4, 1996.