| |
|
Hewitt Jackson was born in 1914 with an insatiable curiosity, wanderlust, and a natural talent that carried him all over the globe. Born in what is now the Kirkland, Washington area, Hewitt’s gift for ciphering and drawing enabled him to go to sea when he was only twelve years old. He sailed the seven seas on whatever was available; square riggers, early steamers, anything that was going someplace interesting. His travels gained him an intimate knowledge of ships and their workings and brought him together with such people as John Steinbeck and Norman Rockwell. Hewitt’s love of ships and maritime history and talent for art led him to produce exceptional paintings and drawings, correct to the last detail, recreating museum quality scenes from history with breathtaking beauty and accuracy. Among other honors, his work earned him the prestigious Captain Robert Gray award from the Washington State Historical Society and being declared a Living Treasure by the Bellevue Art Museum. Hewitt left an indelible impression on everyone who met him. “Please and thank” you went a long way with him, and there were many times he’d give away his time and work because ?“they were nice people.” On the other hand there were those he did not deem nice people, and they soon got a good look at his walking stick and a piece of his mind. While doing his research, drawing and painting, Hewitt began doing articles for 48° North about 20 years ago, and we were thrilled. The material he brought in with him made my jaw drop as I realized how rare and valuable (historically anyway) these items were. A visit to his studio revealed a cornucopia of items and information and revealed not only his love of history, drawing and painting but also printing and photography. We were talking about Boeing one day and he reached up to a cluttered shelf and brought down drawing of the 707, which he’d done when he was working there. It was hard to find something he hadn’t done; sign painting, drafting, working in a compass factory, and even logging. And of course there were the books. Piles and shelves of books on all subjects. He especially enjoyed dictionaries. He would use words in his articles I hadn’t heard of, but we yielded to his expertise because we lacked the sources to look them up. His visits were always long ones as it was impossible to talk a little history with Hewitt. Everything is connected to everything else and he loved to explore the tangents of a subject. It was my pleasure to do an interview with him 20 years ago, in 1987. The following are selected comments by Hewitt on his adventures, the process of studying history, art, historians and, even though he thought philosophy was “too much conversation about altogether too little,” a little of that is thrown in as well. Richard Hazelton ...continue to Article Page Two - the interview ...back to 48° North title page.
|  Hewitt was always a great favorite with “48° North” readers when he was at the boat shows in Seattle. Raise your glasses high with a rousing toast to our friend Hewitt. We will all miss his wit, wisdom and the twinkle in his eye. Our thoughts are with his wife Phoebe, his family and his many friends at the loss of this priceless treasure. |