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Newman Jackson looking above his reading glasses.

"My father showed me how to draw a human leg comparing it to a baseball bat when I was 8. Then he let me draw for hours when I went with him to his job. Later, my high school art teacher led me to famous black artists I could relate to, like Henry O. Tanner and Charles White. Years later, I earned extra cash while in the Navy by drawing my buddies and their girl friends.”

About the Artist

Newman Jackson's development as a painter of significant works really began after his retirement, when he could finally devote full time to its practice. By 2007, he was ready to show a collection of his "Aphrolachian Art" paintings in a solo exhibition at the University of Charleston.

Today, Newman's paintings vary from large, portrait-style paintings to smaller canvases with imagery revealing the more psychological aspects of humanness. In some of the "psychological realities" paintings, his brush and colors convey an emotional atmosphere around partially resolved body forms (Subconscious Wanderings). 

 

“All of my canvases represent tidbits from my personal Appalachian experiences -- an episode of my youth, a wandering thought, or an event in the present.” In a recent interview, he also spoke of wanting to convey Norman Rockwell's style of storytelling (Bologna Sandwich & Root Beer Kool-Aid in a Jelly Jar), as well as Salvador Dali's metaphoric imagery (Transcendental Mentalmorphosis). 

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In abstract painting, Newman finds a release from the inherent restrictions in working with figurative subjects. While his conceptual approach is more spontaneous, his compositions
become intricate networks of color and line, with a distinctive energy of movement in his brush work (Banshee, Cousin of Fairies).

Resume

 

Born:
1948 in Charleston, West Virginia.
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Military Service:
US Navy (1966-70). Combat duty in 1968 Tet offensive, Vietnam, and one year at sea.


Education:

  • West Virginia State College, Art Major, 1973-76

  • Painting with Oil and Cold Wax Workshop (2012)

  • Stained Glass Techniques. Workshop (2021-22) 

 

Solo Exhibitions: 

  • Frankenberger Art gallery, Univ. of Charleston (2007)

  • Robert C. Byrd Courthouse, Charleston, WV (2011)


Juried & Invitational Exhibitions:

  • WVU Art Gallery, Morgantown WV (2022)

  • Common Ground: Affrilachia! Where I’m From, 

       August Wilson Center for African-American Culture,
       Pittsburgh PA (2012)  

  • West Virginia Juried Exhibition, Stifel Fine Arts

       Center, Oglebay Institute, Wheeling WV (2011)

  • A.T. Hun Art Gallery, Savannah, Georgia (2011)

  • Award of Excellence, Annual Juried Exhibition,

       Allied Artists of West Virginia (2010)

  • Clay Center for Arts & Sciences, Charleston WV (2010)

  • “Modern Interpretations” & “Best of West Virginia”

       Exhibitions, David L. Dickerson Fine Arts Gallery,
       Beckley WV (2008)


Galleries:

  • Gallery on 4th, Montgomery WV

  • Gallery Eleven, Charleston WV

  • Dickerson Fine Art Gallery, Beckley WV


Organizations:

  • Allied Artists of West Virginia

  • Tamarack Marketplace

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