John L. Jackson, BFA, MFA

Owner: J Art Design

Bill Holmberg Art Leadership Institute Graduate and 2007 Washington, DC Arts Summit National Co-Sponsor

Member Organizations:

AVA, Tennesseans for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, Photographic Society of Chattanooga, State of Tennessee Developmental Disability Council, Mayors Council on Disability, Pachyderm Club and VSA Arts. 

Article Written about John in 2007

I asked my friend who or what were his strongest influences concerning his love for and his work in various mediums. He told me he’s fond of the early Impressionists, but has a special fondness for Van Gogh. He went on to tell me he was impressed with the artists of said school breaking “the rules of academic painting. They gave the world freely brushed colors and began to bring about the movement away from the ‘traditional’ methods. They used a method called En plein air. This is a French expression, which means ‘in the open air.’ They found they could capture transitions in things like the colors in a sunset that they would not normally see.” Evidently this view is not lost on John as he pointed out that he felt that a “true artist” creates images within the mind and attempts to use various skills and imagination in order to give such images a life of their own.

Not so long ago, John underwent heart bypass surgery. Beyond the obvious physical changes the event presented, the incident brought home a feeling to John that he did not wish “to waste any more of my life.” He feels that life can often become colorless for many people, and he felt a powerful need to fill such a colorless “void with vibrant color and sensational texture. I want to color the lives of people and give new life and new hope to those that will have it. My art is an emotion waiting to be shared with all.” In fact, John works with individuals with developmental disabilities and consistently challenges and encourages his students through the conduit of art. In turn, he finds that working with his students gives “more creative juices to expound on my own abilities,” and I constantly get “so many ideas as I work with my students.”

John Jackson describes himself as primarily a “visual artist.” He insists that his work reach for the soul, for the heart of each individual who encounters it. It is through the use of bright colors and various textures that John reaches out to others. It is his belief that his work has a need to “mean something to one and all.” Coming from such an artistic background, he feels that the direct support from his immediate and extended family allows him the energy he uses in creating the work that he communicates with; in fact, he stated that there “is very little that my family thinks I cannot do when it comes to art and creativity.” If such support continues to allow him to communicate with such color and texture, then we might all wish it to continue.

Since John began to paint in oil and acrylics he has really made the plunge into the physical idea of being an artist. While he pointed out that he had “drawn and doodled all” his life, it has really been since 2005 that he finally came to the conclusion that he has been “an artist all my life.” In the ongoing quest to develop and deliver his work to others, he has actively pursued a career as an artist within the last couple of years. According to John the most challenging aspect of his art is not in the creative end of creation of his works, but in the arduous task of promotion. John is very optimistic about this part of becoming the artist as he believes, wholeheartedly, that “there are people who are just waiting to help artists with” the promotional aspects of their careers.

As a fan of numerous creative souls, I wanted to know about some of the more mundane elements of John’s development on becoming an artist. One of the most basic elemental tasks of any artist is that of scheduling time to work. John was adamant about having “plenty of workspace” in order to not feel “confined.” He methodically sets up his workspace before starting a project, and often has to clean up the “mess on the last art piece.” Probably the most important aspect of John’s approach to creation of work is the need for inspiration. He pointed out that inspiration often comes from his research via magazines, the Internet, and even local art. While he admits that he has suffered the malady of artist’s block from time to time, and that there “is not one cure for anything,” he simply keeps on until said block is, well, broken. He told me that once the idea, the inspiration really takes over the “creativity really starts.”

Concerning the tools every artist should obtain to create the desired effects in painting, John boils it down to the use of high-grade paints and brushes. Of course, the less tangible or obvious tools of his approach to creation of work are entwined in a very modern tool—the web. In fact, John specified “access to the web is essential due to the vast research capabilities for ideas, inspiration, new techniques, and much more. I might add that he made it clear that all artists “get what ‘they’ pay for” in the realm of tools of the trade.

When I asked John Jackson about the big, bad, boogieman of the artist’s world — criticism, he was philosophical in his response. He came across as a man more than comfortable in his skin when he advised artists of all ilks to “never take criticism so personal. Use it or ignore it. I take criticism and use it as a tool to fine tune my skills or change parts of my style. There is no wrong way to express oneself in art. It is in the minds eye of the artist. If the artist is happy with his or her work, then the job is done.”

Still, he offers a caveat for all artists when it comes to the work of others. John believes that artists should “never, ever criticize another artist’s art for it is what makes up the artist. Always find inspiration in other artist’s works for art is always expanding and evolving.” He insists that one should make art the signature of the artist - “what you are.”

I covered a lot of ground in my query into John Jackson’s insights on becoming an artist, and he joking told me that the one question that he’s never been asked that he wouldn’t mind was, “Is this enough money?” He then waxed seriously and told me that if there were one experience that individuals might take with them after experiencing his work it would concern personal outlook. He said, “a brighter outlook on life through an emotional experience that will stay with them and not just be a fleeting moment. I want them to walk away wanting to find more color and texture in their lives and in the people around them. Let’s face it, people have texture and color within their personalities and we need to look for that in those around us.”

Jay Mouton