spring is creeping up all around us especially in the gallery with new paintings by north carolina artist herb jackson. the exhibition entitled following the song of the swan includes new work spanning the last two years. herb jackson has been our friend and mentor for over 30 years. it is our absolute pleasure to exhibit his new body of work at the gallery. herb’s painting speak for themselves. they are made by hands that have spent a lifetime developing their technique. hands using multiple tools to manipulate the paint into his unique vision. color and texture are the main focus to create an energy that flows across the canvas. layers and layers of paint built up then painstakingly removed to expose the beauty hidden underneath. our words do not give the work justice. the experience of viewing great paintings in person cannot be adequately described for the feelings evoked are only to felt by the viewer. a presence of another world is exposed…herb’s world.
throughout herb jackson's childhood he was a regular at the north carolina museum of art in raleigh and won his first award for art in a juried exhibition there in 1962, as a teenager. he received his undergraduate degree from davidson college and three years later he earned his master's degree in fine arts from the university of north carolina at chapel hill. in 1969, while finishing up his graduate studies, jackson began teaching at davidson. he soon became the chair of the art department which he held for 16 years. he retired from teaching in 2011. jackson's work is now in more than 80 museum collections including the british museum in london and the brooklyn museum in new york city.
in 1999, herb jackson was given the north carolina award by the governor. this is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state. herb jackson's paintings are built up in many layers which are scraped off as they are being applied. shapes and marks come and go as the painting develops to a hundred or more layers. the final outcome is the result of a process of discovery similar to the life experience itself.
"to require that an image, to be a bearer of content, must be recognizable is to suggest that there is no form to the unknowable."
- herb jackson
all available work by herb jackson can be viewed on our website on the artist page under the herb jackson tab. click on herb jackson to bring up all available paintings with sizing and pricing. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.
