Carousel. 2004. By Jack Green IV.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor  @Blogfinger

Some of you might recall dining at the former Captain Jack’s restaurant. We liked to go there for the crispy duck which is actually still on the menu, and quite good. You may also remember the large, colorful and striking oil paintings on the walls which were done by the chef/manager of the restaurant, Jack Green IV.

Jack’s family is well known in Ocean Grove because they go back several generations. Jack IV, the artist, has a family of his own and he actually is the father of JG V.

When it comes to Ocean Grove, Jack is on board with tradition. He and his family live in a tent each summer, and Jack retains his contacts with the surfing community in town.   He says, “Surfing, rowing and cooking are my hobbies, but art is my one true passion”

Jack IV has been an artist all his life. He studied  at the  Pratt Institute in New York City, but, although he continues to paint, mostly in oils, he currently has a day job as a construction manager and realtor.

Jack IV’s parents have a fine display of his work in their Ocean Grove condo. It was there that I got to photograph a large two-section oil painting of the Carousel House in Asbury Park near the Ocean Grove border. Jack’s technique is alive with color. It’s as if the whole painting shimmers with energy. That seems to be how the artist feels about a place that he has known his whole life. His rendition of the Carousel is cinematic—you can imagine it going round and round. And maybe you can see other things in it as well.

The Carousel House, a Beaux-arts design, was built in the 1920’s. It was part of the re-design of the Asbury oceanfront that included the Casino, Convention Hall and the Berkley-Carteret Hotel. In 1932, the original carousel was installed. It was made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and called #87.

In 1990, the carousel was moved to Myrtle Beach, SC, and the Carousel House was refurbished recently.

THEME FROM CINEMA PARADISO.  By Ennio Morricone.