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Blow-ups - fine art paper mounted on aluminum 44” x 60” Digital Paintings, archival pigmented ink on canvas 24” x 72”
All Art and Text Copyright Jack Atkinson 2009
Jack Atkinson
Blow-ups and Aura Paintings
Caelum Gallery is proud to hold a show of the artist Jack Atkinson.
Atkinson is a virtuoso of computer-output art. The medium is so young that clear leaders in its use have not been identified, but Atkinson is known for his early embrace of what he feels will be the fine art medium of the future. His work is analogous to a chef who takes wonderful ingredients and through a complex process turns them into a totally surprising dish. The ingredients he uses are drawings from life that he quickly executes with brush and ink. In some of the works the artist ‘blows-up’ these economically executed sketches via the computer. Through this enlargement, intimate observations now have a significant presence.* In other work, the drawings are changed, via the computer, into a pure energy of vibrating, sometimes glowing colors the artist calls ‘aura paintings‘.
Atkinson states, "Every person and everything around us has it's own unique energy or aura. These paintings explore my perceptions of that energy which is always present, but seldom acknowledged." He calls his technique "digital paintings", which are outputs on canvas**, using special archival, pigmented inks and he achieves painterly and atmospheric qualities as though they have been spray-painted by hand. There is nothing mechanical or artificial-looking about any of Atkinson's artworks, in fact they are organic-looking.
Whether Jack Atkinson’s motif’s are portraits, flora, fauna or tribal icons, all of his final artworks retain the immediacy, vitality and original "juice" of his sketches from life.
Jack Atkinson has a BFA from the University of Memphis and a Masters Degree in Art from Syracuse University. Fifteen years ago Atkinson, excited about a completely new art medium, invented his process of his marrying ancient ink painting techniques with the newest digital technologies. His work is in collections in 40 US states, Great Britain, Germany, China, Mexico and Japan. In March of 2007, Atkinson helped Caelum Gallery organize the first "All Digital-Output Group Exhibition" in NY's Chelsea Gallery District. He has exhibited in Caelum Gallery numerous times.
* works on paper are in editions of seven ** works on canvas are unique
