Jack Wisby was born in London in 1869. He arrived in San Francisco in 1897 at the age of 28 with his 22 year old fiance, Mary Ann Fossey For a few years after his arrival, he worked as an engraver at Shreve's and began painting without benefit of formal training. He maintained his first studio in San Francisco. During this period, he made many strenuous trips to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. In the 1906 earthquake and fire, he lost many of his early works.

After the '06 disaster, Wisby moved across the Bay to Inverness, near what is today Point Reyes National Seashore. In 1912, he built a studio further south in Bolinas. During this period, Wisby painted scenes of the Lucas Valley and the San Geronimo Hills.

He made a good living from his paintings and never had to rely on commercial art for income. In 1919, he moved to San Rafael until his death in 1940.

He is best known for his soft poetic oils of Northern California, often with water reflection.

His wife Mary Anne Fossey Wisby (1875-1960) were married in San Francisco upon their arrival in 1897. She was a teacher in the Chinese Mission School in San Francisco until the earthquake of '06, when she and Jack moved to Marin County. She was an artist of exceptional talent and skill, but let her husband to have an art career while she dedicated herself to maintain the family home. Her works are rare. She died in 1960, twenty years after the passing of her husband Jack.
Source: Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Milton Hughes