#figure painting

Portrait Speedpainting Practice

4-Up super quick studies of Mehcad Brooks of Supergirl

nelsonhernandez-0607:

Speedpainting Portrait Practice

4-Up study of Leonardo Nam of Westworld

Wings, acrylic on canvas, 2019

image sourced from the Dr. Ikkaku Ochi Collection

Posed, acrylic on canvas, 2019

“Case 27. Lepra Macula.— Aged 14 years. Presented herself in my clinic at the Charity Hospital, February 28th, 1888, with the following history: Born in the Fifth District of this city (Algiers) and has always lived there, attending one of the public schools.”

Source image (right picture) from Leprosy in New Orleans by Henry W. Blanc, 1889.

Posed, acrylic on linen, 2019 (bottom right image is of the painting’s first layer, bottom left and top right are finished)

Source image (top left) from Leprosy in New Orleans by Henry W. Blanc, 1889: 

“Case 27. Lepra Macula.— Aged 14 years. Presented herself in my clinic at the Charity Hospital, February 28th, 1888, with the following history: Born in the Fifth District of this city (Algiers) and has always lived there, attending one of the public schools.”

Charleston resident Newman Jackson navigated a long and winding path before realizing his goal of becoming a working visual artist. His career in the chemical industry had come to an unexpected halt after the company he worked for moved their operations overseas. He returned to school, earning an Associates Degree in Computer Technology, but soon discovered that job placement in the field wasn’t as accessible as he initially thought. “Years of past job experience, schooling, mailing out resumes, and sitting in interviews was not opening opportunities for me,” he explains. However, with encouragement from his life partner Brenda, Newman decided it was time to embark on a search for new possibilities. “I was told to pursue the thing that I do best,” he tells us, “and that was art.”

Soon after shifting focus, Newman was offered an exciting opportunity by local artist who, knowing nothing of Newman’s background or experience, offered him a solo exhibition at the University of Charleston’s Frankenberger Gallery. “I did not have many pieces,” he tells us, “but what I did have was a few large oil paintings and some photographs that had never been seen beyond the nooks and corners of my house…The sight of my work on public walls was exhilarating. It was a feeling that I rarely felt.” It turned out that aside from providing a splendid introduction to the Charleston arts community, Newman’s first solo exhibit would open more doors than he could have anticipated. After reading about the show, an old friend reached out to catch up and, upon learning Newman was in pursuit of a studio space, offered him one on the spot. “Things just seemed to be falling into place,” Newman tells us, “as though opportunity had been waiting for me to take ownership of my fate.” Over the following years, Newman aggressively promoted himself and his work, proactively seeking opportunities to engage with the creative community to learn how to succeed as a working artist. He joined the Allied Artists of West Virginia and was eventually voted in as President. During his three year tenure, he sought audiences with other artists and organizations, which reinforced his appreciation and understanding of success through shared experience.

Meanwhile, Newman made strides to fold that positive communal energy into his working environment as well. With the help and support of his old friend, the two expanded his studio, offering a total of 22 local artists a place to work and grow their reputation together. They adopted the name Chimera Studio and through word of mouth, became a growing attraction. But, after three years of progress, unforeseen circumstances required the studio to dismantle. “We were forced to move out [and] many did not have a place to be,” Newman explains. “Some, who were encouraged by their new working recognition sought out and found new spaces to work…landlords, who had heard of our plight, were encouraging in offering up new spaces.” Unfortunately, despite the accommodating efforts, many lacked the funds to start over in a new place. Eventually, Newman was put in touch with a building manager who had an opening within his means. He was finally able to work again after losing a year and a half of production time.

Although he had to leave the close-knit environment of the Chimera Studio, Newman has carried the experience with him and applies the lessons he learned there to his painting. “I confess that I was a little closed minded about certain types of art,” he explains, “but my exposure to all of the different styles of artisans at the first building opened my eyes to many possibilities. I began to read about artists who inspired these friends to find out what inspired them to paint the style they had chosen.” As for Newman’s style, his personal idols are Norman Rockwell and Salvador Dali, a combination that at first seems strange, but for his creative process, both Rockwell and Dali’s work possess qualities that offer endless inspiration:

For me, Norman Rockwell is the best storyteller to have ever lived. To look at a Rockwell congers up emotions [and] in one frame, an entire story is told. This is the job of an artist, [to] inspire emotions either through word, song, or painting. As for Dali, I have a tendency to speak in metaphors…Through Dali, I have learned that phrasing does not have to be literal to be understood. His wording, through his paintings, just adds more majesty to the moment than any representation of the same event that I have ever seen.

Newman’s appreciation for representational storytelling, coupled with his love of metaphor, comes through in his paintings, which often blend figurative elements and abstraction. The combination offers just enough visual information to suggest a sense of a story, while the expressive abstract styles add a compelling emotional layer. Going back to Newman’s appreciation of Rockwell and Dali, it makes one consider the complexities of depicting human feeling. So often, true emotions are disguised and clouded by the conditions that create them. Using his method, Newman encourages those who view his work to decode a deeper message. A stellar example of this principle exists in Newman’s piece Sorrow Revealed, which recently earned an Award of Merit from the 2016 West Virginia Juried Exhibition.

According to Newman, his award winning painting was inspired by a famous scene from the 1967 film In Cold Blood in which Robert Blake’s character shares a painful story from his youth. As he spoke, light passed through a rainy window pane, making it appear as though tears were streaming down his face. “I saw this as a sorrow revealed through what I considered to be a metaphor for his dysfunctional childhood,” Newman explains. “There were no tears shed, just the illusion. The pain of experiences is often disguised by false smiles, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, or a walk in the rain.” In Sorrow Revealed, heavy rain is suggested rather than depicted through vertical drags of paint. A woman crouches with her umbrella beneath the torrent, but her reaction is clouded by the flow. The painting does an excellent job of connoting the complexities of sadness or regret through the depiction of both posture and atmosphere. With the combination, we are offered an opportunity to experience emotion in Newman’s metaphorical sense, but are afforded just enough freedom to extract personal interpretations, too. The effect is moving and proves to be a lovely balance between figurative storytelling and abstract expression.

Sorrow Revealed will remain on display in the David L. Dickirson Fine Arts Gallery until February 21, 2016 along with his other piece Sunday Distractions.

“standing by the mirror”,  2004 by Norman Engel

“seated woman”, ,2016 by Norman Engel

“thinking of you”, 2003 by Norman Engel