BEMIDJI — Nicholas Jackson of Bemidji developed an interest in art at a young age.
After a little bit of art instruction in grade school, he was hooked. Through books on drawing, like How to Draw on the Right Side of Your Brain, he learned to capture what he actually saw rather than what he imagined.
Jackson told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show he took a long pause on art until college. Then, while pursuing a computer science degree at Bemidji State University, his thoughts turned toward art again.
“I was actually programming in the computer science lab with my buddy Jeff, and I was playing guitar in the lab, which probably wasn't allowed, and he just turned to me and said, ‘What are you doing with your life, man. This isn't for you, is it?’" Jackson recalled. "And I was like, 'Yeah, it's true.'”
Art then became a focus in his life.
Style and medium
It took a bit of time before Jackson found his style, though. In his view, absorbing other artists’ work can help find a personal style.
“When you see work, you're always deciding some aspect of that you want to incorporate into your own work, like the line quality,” Jackson said. He feels choosing a style too early is a common mistake new artists make.
Jackson has found that the illustration world requires fast work with numerous deadlines, but he's found a process that really works for him.
He starts with small sketches to get the general composition, leading to a refined sketch where color is added. After that, he adds line work. For his larger painting,s he will project the drawing onto a canvas with his iPad next to him with a smaller version of the image.
Jackson enjoys planning out his paintings.
“It actually makes painting really enjoyable for me because I'm just kind of cruising," he said. "I'm not constantly making all these decisions that affect each other. I don't always stick to it exactly, but it makes painting faster and more enjoyable.”
He finds that having a plan also makes it easier to move and edit, instead of scrambling to make it all work and meet the deadline. Jackson has found in painting, if you're not constantly checking it as a whole, the composition can fall apart.
Jackson added, “If you're looking to maybe kick out a lot of paintings or maybe you want something in the series, I think having a little bit of a plan is a great way to approach art, and for me it's allowed for greater creativity.”
Inspiration
Jackson said he finds everything inspiring when it comes to his work, including fables, fantasy and even old memories. A recent painting featured a tree fort. It has multiple levels, zip lines and more. The tree fort he grew up with had a couple of boards and a guardrail, but in this painting is what he always imagined it could be.
Jackson also does painting commissions. However, he doesn’t like to recreate photos in his painting style. As a photographer himself, he wants his paintings to tell a story, different from a realistic photo.
“I want the story of the person to come through, maybe more so than their likeness. I focus more on just taking them, putting them as a character. They're kind of a character version of themselves," he said. "They can tell it's them, but I want to tell the story of who they are.”
Recently, Jackson learned that a couple commissioning his work often quoted The Princess Bride to each other. With this knowledge, he recreated the film’s poster, with the couple as the leads and their dog by their side.
“If you want to just paint with the likeness of someone, that's fantastic too," he said. "But that's kind of the direction I've taken my commissions.”
Jackson takes orders for commissions on his website. More of his work is available on Facebook and Instagram.
Jackson loves hearing from people on how his artwork has affected them.
“It's one of the most honoring things ever," he said. "Someone has this limited space in their home, and they've chosen my artwork to be in it. That just blows my mind. I'm so honored by that.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
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