Howard-Potter grew up in New York City where he was inspired by the public sculpture of Alexander Calder, George Ricky and various performance, dance, and artistic exposure. He earned a BA in Art History and Sculpture from Union College and has been making and displaying sculpture since 1997. After college, Howard-Potter moved to Colorado and worked with a blacksmith creating furniture and learning about the properties of steel, the medium that he would eventually use to create his art. Howard-Potter also gained the skills to convey a heightened sense of fluidity in solid steel while learning about the commercial practices of metalworking.

In 2001, Jack enrolled in anatomy and drawing classes at the Art Students League in New York City to further his skills as a figurative artist.  Famed artist and instructor, Anthony Palumbo, selected Howard-Potter to work as his assistant and eventually became his mentor. For two years Jack immersed himself in the human form, sketching five days each week and completing thousands of drawings.  It was this practice that gave him the in-depth knowledge of human anatomy that can be seen in his work today.  

Jack has permanent and long-term displays in sculpture parks, municipalities and galleries across the country including Marco Island and Coral Springs, Florida; Suwanee and Sandy Springs Georgia; Pemberton, New Jersey; Salem, New York; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; Glenwood Springs, Colorado; Flossmoor and Chicago, Illinois and Blaine, Washington. Howard-Potter resides in New York City with his wife, Erica, daughter, Skylar and son, Lyndon. He is a board member of The Art Students League and Scripps Howard Foundation. He has maintained a studio in Long Island City, Queens since 2006.