Dan Jackson
NEW STILL LIFE PAINTINGS
July 10 - August 30, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 10, 5:30-7:30 PM
Jackson’s vibrant, colorful paintings depict objects of everyday life, such as ceramic figurines, folded piles of clothes, toys, candy, fruit, and flowers, in an illusionistic manner. Displayed in the immediate foreground atop a shelf or a table press up against a back wall, the objects occupy a shallow space position which portrayed in a naturalistic style, are deceptively simple yet remain true to the subject. The formal sensibility of these unexpectedly found and household objects convey the sly, humorous side of the artist. With an almost uncanny attention to realism, he does not eliminate flaws in the objects he depicts, and is thus able to capture the fragility of his subject and comment on the transitory nature of life.
Jackson says of his work, “Illusionism is a primary focus of my paintings. I believe it to be one of the most basic and satisfying reasons for my life-long love of art. The transformation of raw materials into a painting capable of fooling the senses, if only for a moment, thrilled me as a child, and still drives and informs my art to this day. Still life, with its shallow spaces, is the perfect vehicle for illusionistic painting. By using simple interior spaces and a shallow depth of field, I intend to force the viewer’s attention to the subjects, thereby creating objects of contemplation. My style has always been highly realistic, allowing the occasional line or brush stroke to show through when it is needed to help add volume or texture. Investing a large amount of attention to detail in my subject matter, my paintings encourage the viewer to invest more time in understanding the significance of the objects and their relationship to each other.”
Dan Jackson received his BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the Virginia Commonwealth University. Jackson has been included twice in New American Paintings.