Nancy Jackson
Nancy Jackon press image. 2008. Photographed by Grant Mudford.
Ka. 2008
Paper mâché, polymer clay, crocheted string, gouache-acrylic
14 x 10 x 2 1/2’’
NJ08 04
Crossroads. 2008
Gouache on paper, framed
Sheet, 15 x 22 1/2; frame, 17 5/8 x 24 3/4’’
NJ08 02
Mu. 2007-2008
Oil on porcelain figure and aluminum; gouache-acrylic on clay and papier-mâché base
11 1/4 x 10 1/2 x 10’’
NJ08 05
Hard Rot. 2007
Gouache on paper mounted on masonite, silver, zircon
Panel, 9 x 11 1/4; frame, 12 x 14’’
NJ07 05
Sa. 2007
Gouache on papier mâché, cloth, wire, wood, with gold leaf
22 x 11 1/4 x 6 1/2’’
NJ08 06
Oum. 2007
Oil on wood, aluminum, paper, polymer clay, knitted and knotted string, porcelain
76 x 25’’ diameter
NJ08 08
Bird Mountain. 2008
Gouache on paper
22 1/4 x 15’’
NJ08 07
Princess Tree. 2006
Porcelain, polymer clay, wire, gouache, fabric and beads
13 x 6 1/2 x 6 1/2’’
NJ08 01
There's no glamour, just deep themes
Intimacy is Nancy Jackson's forte. Each of her seven diorama-scaled sculptures and page-size drawings in another room at the gallery creates such a convincing little world of its own that it's easy to forget yourself in its presence -- not to mention where you're standing and everything else around you.
Jackson's meticulously rendered gouaches are all about contemplative solitude, of following one's own path and meandering through out-of-the-way places. "Crossroads," "Hard Rot" and "Bird Mountain" suggest that difficulty, luck and humility may lead to self-knowledge, but only if the self doesn't get in the way.
The two best pieces are the most elaborate. "Ka" is a wall sculpture that mimics the format of a ceremonial mask but also embraces the nestled complexity of multiple realities, its eyes and mouth opening onto worlds-within-worlds.
The only free-standing sculpture, "Oum," is more than 6 feet tall. But it is made of such fragile materials -- string, wire, clay and porcelain -- that it doesn't tower over viewers, but rather seems to be the model of a solar system inspired by dangling earrings and delicate chandeliers.
As a group, Jackson's low-tech, handcrafted works engage viewers -- and the world around them -- by making room for respite.