copyright ©2008 andré jackson
I HAVE BEEN AN ARTIST for as long as I can remember. But I only began to paint about 5
years ago. As a young boy, I remember being fascinated with the fashion illustrations in the
LOS ANGELES TIMES newspaper and had fantasies of becoming a fashion designer.
The son of pragmatic parents, I was expected to be a professional, which did not include art,
illustration, or the like. In high school I turned my academic focus to architectural drafting,
gardening, and tailoring. Much to the chagrin of my parents, I entered college and studied art. I
struggled to find my image and place in San Diego State University’s Art department, and after
floundering for a couple of years, I dropped out.
Later I found a place in the floral industry, where I excelled and became prominent in my field
and community as a creative force, discovering my image as an artist. I would occasionally
take art classes at night and apply my new found knowledge to my artistic endeavors. Years
later, I became restless, realizing that I needed to further nourish my creative core. I closed my
business, returned to college to study landscape architecture, but was ironically shuffled into
the art department when the landscape program folded. Cautious and excited, I entered the art
department while still clueless about my medium. I soon came to realize that my experience
as a floral designer had fostered my relationship with color, texture, and proportions,
unknowingly preparing me for my new found captivation with painting and mixed media
sculpture. Painting especially, allows me to continue my relationship with color and
opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with others.
The focus of my work is to explore issues of intimacy and how they relate to a collective
community. My art is created in response to the world as I see it, one that is at first glance
shrouded in complexity, but eventually revealing a universal simplicity and uncomplicated
beauty. Many times I feel that the world around me is filled with an ephemeral quality driven by
an extreme obsession quality that is disabling and futile; often times, creating a sense of
collective isolation that touts the adage “what you see is not always what you get.” Perhaps it
is my own isolation and appreciation for nature that allows me to create with such conviction. I
choose contrasting subjects that help to rationalize or balance the contrasting observations in
my head. An understanding of the relationships we have with the natural world and with
ourselves is what I would like my art to reveal. Furthermore, it allows me to recognize the
consequences of our decisions while embracing the integral beauty of what happens along the
process.
years ago. As a young boy, I remember being fascinated with the fashion illustrations in the
LOS ANGELES TIMES newspaper and had fantasies of becoming a fashion designer.
The son of pragmatic parents, I was expected to be a professional, which did not include art,
illustration, or the like. In high school I turned my academic focus to architectural drafting,
gardening, and tailoring. Much to the chagrin of my parents, I entered college and studied art. I
struggled to find my image and place in San Diego State University’s Art department, and after
floundering for a couple of years, I dropped out.
Later I found a place in the floral industry, where I excelled and became prominent in my field
and community as a creative force, discovering my image as an artist. I would occasionally
take art classes at night and apply my new found knowledge to my artistic endeavors. Years
later, I became restless, realizing that I needed to further nourish my creative core. I closed my
business, returned to college to study landscape architecture, but was ironically shuffled into
the art department when the landscape program folded. Cautious and excited, I entered the art
department while still clueless about my medium. I soon came to realize that my experience
as a floral designer had fostered my relationship with color, texture, and proportions,
unknowingly preparing me for my new found captivation with painting and mixed media
sculpture. Painting especially, allows me to continue my relationship with color and
opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with others.
The focus of my work is to explore issues of intimacy and how they relate to a collective
community. My art is created in response to the world as I see it, one that is at first glance
shrouded in complexity, but eventually revealing a universal simplicity and uncomplicated
beauty. Many times I feel that the world around me is filled with an ephemeral quality driven by
an extreme obsession quality that is disabling and futile; often times, creating a sense of
collective isolation that touts the adage “what you see is not always what you get.” Perhaps it
is my own isolation and appreciation for nature that allows me to create with such conviction. I
choose contrasting subjects that help to rationalize or balance the contrasting observations in
my head. An understanding of the relationships we have with the natural world and with
ourselves is what I would like my art to reveal. Furthermore, it allows me to recognize the
consequences of our decisions while embracing the integral beauty of what happens along the
process.
