Gilles by Vincent Jackson, 2014, acrylic on paper, 65 x 53.75 inches

The renowned artist Vincent Jackson is coming to the Big Apple

Back it up, New Yorkers – Vincent Jackson’s first NYC solo exhibition opens November 18, 2021 at Summertime Gallery. The artist himself will be in town to celebrate the exhibition with Summertime founders and long-time friends of CE, Sophia Cosmadopoulos and Anna Schechter.

Make Way for Mr. Jackson – named by the artist himself – is a triumphant curation of the "big, bold and beautiful" portraits that define Jackson’s practice and career.

Paul #2 by Vincent Jackson, 2016, oil pastel on paper, 29.5 x 17.5 inches

Here’s Jackson’s statement about the show:

I’m not saying “make way for Mr. Jackson” to be funny about it. I'm saying it because that's what I want people to do. I want the whole city of Brooklyn — to make way! I want them to see what I'm about. I want the people of Brooklyn to know who I am!

I would like to be introduced as an artist from San Francisco. Someone that knows what he’s doing. I want it to be wonderful and uplifting for Brooklyn to know that they will see an artist born right in the beautiful city of San Francisco that really truly does his work and has fun with it.

I have been making artwork for 38 years because I’ve been at Creativity Explored for 38 years! I come in and do what I need to do. I just sit down and focus on what I need to do.

I’m very structured about my art. A person tells me, “don’t draw it like that,” and I say, “I'm the artist, I draw it the way I wanna draw it, if I wanna get silly with it, I can get silly with it!” See, being an artist to me is knowing what you want to draw and how you put it together. I consider myself sort of like an art psychologist. We’re here to change lives, we’re not here to change nonsense. Nonsense don’t pay my bills. You know, of course it doesn’t. And I don’t have time for nitpicking. Look, I know what I’m about.

I would describe my art as beauty. I think it’s unique and it says something. It says a whole lot. It says a whole lot. I would describe it as wonderful. I would describe it as a teaching tool… a theater piece. Artwork means different things to people. I draw faces. I do abstracts. I do other things but the faces really tell a story. I am well-known for my faces. I have done pastels and I have sold them like hotcakes. I call them portraits. They're portraits that come from my head. When I do it I don’t have no person in mind. What I do is sit down, sketch out faces on paper, and kind of work from there and do it my way.

I don’t believe in nothing ‘bleh’. I don't believe in no dull colors. That's the reason why I draw with a lot of color. Color is a thing for me. Some people say, “you use too much color” and I say “well I have to use color, I have to use it."

Art is something. See, when you get a piece of art in your hand, it brings beauty to your house. It brings beauty. I want to introduce new people to what I have done. But if you already know about me, you do. But if you don't know, you will — I am a renowned artist, I don’t take it lightly, I take it strongly. And I’m here to change lives with whatever I do.

For more information about the exhibition visit the Summertime website at summertimegallery.org ▸