"Mike Jackson is known over much of the western world for his amazing ability to seek out and paint in detail the wildlife he encounters while trekking and traveling all over the world. What his fans are discovering now is that his portraiture is also extraordinary and set above most of the portraiture you find these days. It if often that people visiting the gallery will come to a dead stop in front of his work and almost reach out to touch the painting as if they are wanting to feel the texture of the skin. He is known for feathers and fur and even striking underwater scenes, but it is worth a trip to the gallery to see his paintings of the children he encounters in his travels. His method of laying down layers of paint creates a special luminosity to his work. When water is involved in his paintings, it looks like real water and you find yourself looking through the water to whatever is at the bottom of the creek bed or swimming in it. His detail lets the viewer know that Mike was there, up close and personal, catching every nuance for his paintings."
"Leviathans" 24" X 60" Oil on Canvas
Should I ever get to the point of total satisfaction I think I’d better make that painting my last and put my brushes and easel away for good. -Michael Jackson, Artist
"Sailfish" 24" X 36" Oil on Canvas
"Flying High" 24 1/2" X 32 1/4" Oil on Canvas
"Last Light" 22" X 40" Oil on Canvas
"The Mating Game" Oil on Canvas
"Egret" Oil
"Happy Flowers - Blue Birds" 23 3/4" X 47 1/2" Oil on Canvas
"Ripples" 14 1/4" X 29 1/4" Oil on Canvas
My philosophy is: “Enjoy life to the full, work hard, play hard and give generously to the things that are important to you. Love your friends and family, cherish your children, give thanks to God for the good things in your life, but remember to live for today, for tomorrow is not promised.” Michael Jackson, artist
Portraits
"Waiting for the Parade" 16"X24" Oil on Canvas
Michael Jackson's portrait work is performed in the classic European method of extraordinary attention to expression and smoothness of transition. Unexcelled radiance in skin tones is a defining keystone in his portrait work. Extraordinary!
The Music Man 22" X 30" Oil on Canvas
"I use the same techniques as the old masters such as Titian, Van Oz, Alma Tadema etc it is achieved by preparing the canvas properly with up to six coats of gesso, and then the paint is built up in thin layers, each one being carefully flattened out with a sablemop brush to eliminate any brush strokes, it takes time and patience, but I think well worth the effort."
"Possibly one of the most important things for any artist is inspiration. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively in pursuit of my reference, and who cannot fail to be inspired when face to face with a Mountain Gorilla, or up close to Tigers in the wild, or diving with Dolphins.These wonderful experiences are very important as an artist, and as a result, I am never short of ideas, as soon as I have completed one of my paintings, I am itching to get on with the next new project that has been formulating in my mind during the last days or weeks.
How long does it take?This must be the question most asked of any Artist.Infinite patience and a lifetime’s experience?....maybe. The answer I suppose is when I am happy with the work.Every time I look at a blank canvas a familiar nervousness reaches the pit of my stomach.This usually lasts a few days if the work gets off on the right foot, yet weeks can sometimes pass before I become settled that things are as they should be.
I am always striving to do better, each picture being the greatest work of my lifetime, that is, until I start the next - and so it goes on.
Should I ever get to the point of total satisfaction I think I’d better make that painting my last and put my brushes and easel away for good.
My philosophy is: “Enjoy life to the full, work hard, play hard and give generously to the things that are important to you. Love your friends and family, cherish your children, give thanks to God for the good things in your life, but remember to live for today, for tomorrow is not promised”.
Mary Martin GALLERY 103 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 New Location Gallery Row on Historic Broad Street 843-723-0303
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