NOD – Scott Jackson
Scott Jackson draws his way through the indescribable in NOD. Playfully peeling the layers of consciousness, he picks pieces from his memory, dreams, and influences, surfacing as a restless series of instinctive drawings. Jackson embraces confusion. The characters that fill his surreal scenes are alive with personality, dancing and scuttling in place. An ever-present tongue-in-cheek humour presides – juxtaposing with perhaps more sinister details.
Doodle-like in process and form, Jackson allows himself to wander about the composition unrestricted. Similarly, in the oval oil paintings he paints using unhampered line drawing methods. Drawn like illustrations from a story book, Jackson documents his personality in his works, inviting us to have a laugh with him along the way at the absurd and uncomfortable world we inhabit.
“The watercolour and shellac elements round [the works] off with a filter or haze that adds another subconscious layer. Like a sandwich. But maybe with strange ingredients which are all you have left in the fridge like carrot and jam with milk powder and sultanas.” —Scott Jackson, 2023
Lyttelton-based artist Scott Jackson’s practice falls into a triangular space formed by pop culture (from ancient through to contemporary), speculative fiction and the psychology around the subconscious and dream worlds. This ‘neverwhere’ holds a rich creative compost from which Jackson’s work takes root. Jackson uses drawing, printingmaking and painting to express his often dark but often humorous illustrations of society and the human mind with all its ambiguities. Jackson has long operated within the art world, working for artists and institutions and applying his printmaking to commercial design. His work is held in private and public collections in New Zealand and beyond.
Unframed editions of LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE are available at $200 per work. Please inquire at info@cityart.co.nz to find out more.
