Arts & Entertainment

Paramus Resident's Art on Display in Maywood Library

Jack McKenzie turned to painting after being laid off

A Paramus resident who was laid off two years ago has taken the time to pursue a new hobby: painting.

Jack McKenzie, 57, is a computer programmer by trade, though he hasn't worked in the field in two years.

Since being laid off, he's focused his time on his art, and several of his landscapes, depicting covered bridges, lighthouses and fishing village scenes, are on display in the Maywood Public Library.

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McKenzie applies the meticulousness he brought to his work as a programmer to his art, spending much of his perfecting all the details in each painting.

"I tend to spend a little bit too much time on the background," McKenzie said.

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Though it only became a full-time pursuit recently, painting has been a pastime of McKenzie's for a long time. He has been a Bob Ross fan since the 1990s.

The more McKenzie painted, the better he got. And while he hasn't sold a painting yet, he has sold a few cards and a refrigerator magnet adorned with his art.

His paintings have also become a go-to wedding gift.

"People keep saying to me, 'I'm definitely going to have to invite you to my wedding so I can get a painting,'" McKenzie said.

To see more of McKenzie's art, visit his blog or the Maywood Public Library.


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