Artist combines hands-on and digital techniques into a unique medium
Currently on view at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts in Sebastopol, California, “fluidity - the art of molten material,” features work by Northern California artist, Drew Jackson, who has used his years of experience as a digital photographer to extemporize on his encaustic wax creations - and in so doing, has combined a “left brain” and “right brain” method of art-making into a unique and distinct medium.
Jackson’s work is color-driven, but his use of texture provides a subtext that adds a gravitational pull to his pieces. He states, “Photography has been a force in my life for over forty years, yet in 2009 I felt the need to become more physically connected to the work I produced. This lead to an exploration of more tactile art forms, and initiated the journey with encaustic painting and image transfer techniques.”
Jackson found a medium and method that he has decided to bear down on, and deeply mine his ideas. It is remarkable what can be uncovered within a closely focused discipline - think of Giorgio Morandi.
“Fire Within” is an aggressive firewall that pulsates and serves as a warning - like a wasp nest. Or alludes to the interior chambers of the human heart. This piece also has a feeling of erosion.
“Down Deep,” a baroque abstraction, has visual staying power and keeps giving to the viewer with following “re-visits.” There is a range of warms and cools and a variety of textures - ranging from spiky to gaseous. Jackson also attains a feeling of the ephemeral, to the point that you wonder if the picture will have changed slightly if you come back to it an hour later. It is tempting to go to the “2001 A Space Odyssey” narrative, but if you resist that reading and take the layers and veils of color and values at face value, that’s all you need to enjoy the ride. This 30” x 30” piece could well command a larger format. I can see this as a 10 foot x 10 foot piece holding court in the International Terminal at SFO or LAX or placed in the 1st floor lobby of any corporate skyscraper.
In “Into the Deep,” color is the dominant force, but texture adds weight to the piece. Jackson pulls off the trick of turning a usually cool color into a hot color - kind of like the hot-but-blue flame on a gas stove. This turn-about prompts a visual double-take, and is a plus for the piece.
fluidity - the art of molten materialDrew Jackson
through March 29, 2020
Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sat. & Sun., 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
282 South High Street, Sebastopol, California
