Art & Life with Layne Jackson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Layne Jackson.

Layne, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Never a dull moment!

I take chances and ask for what I want. It’s been a lucky life, with travel and art and music and an amazing arena to work in. Romance brought me to Chicago and then the romance became the city itself. Chicago is one of the most diverse and culturally rich cities I’ve been lucky enough to live in, and the range of events and activities here is incredible.

I am a Third-generation Texan, attended High School in Toronto, and the University of Texas in Austin for my BFA. Bought a one-way ticket to Europe that turned into three years in Paris as art director for literary magazines.

Tap danced into a corporate art department in a fast new small company in Austin (Dell Computers), and developed a department in International Marketing to guide the global business. Great learning experience!

I’ve shaken hands with three presidents, traveled to the USSR as part of an arts delegation during the Special Period (no vodka!), traveled to Cuba as part of an arts delegation playing softball with Cuban media stars, traveled to Zimbabwe to plant gardens as part of new housing for kids, traveled to Macedonia to be the first American at an artists’ residency in their 11th century monastery (no one spoke English so French was the common language)

Was co-owner of a jazz club, VIP coordinator for the Chicago International Music and Movies festival (cimmfest), soloed in front of 600 people, been on eight or nine CD recordings, am currently playing piano for a big band in Chicago, taught and sold artwork for years in Wicker Park storefronts, running artist’ studios and working in the public and private schools with over 600 kids to create murals.

Painted a public art piece in Chicago then a fellow artist and I launched a business painting hundreds of fiberglass animals, shipping around the world. Sold the business and bought an 1889 house in the Ukrainian Village, where I get to work in my studio every day.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
The paintings and installations I make are inspired by the abundance of nature in Chicago and in my travels.
My focus is on the cycles of the natural world, from birth to decay, and finding beauty in each phase of the cycle.
I am currently working in gouache paint on hand made paper, sourced from an old mill in the South of France. The paintings are interpretations of the most minute of elements, twigs and leaves that fall as I walk, and am guiding people to stop and look for more than a moment. The newest work is collaborative, working with designers creating fabrics and rugs for large scale installations.

All of the work is for sale, and collaborations and commissions are welcome.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success is being able to do what you love and finding a way to a clear path. Determination is key, and a certain amount of naivety perhaps, to never waver and to do the thing that you do best. A guiding quote for me has been this one, from Nelson Mandela: “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The most up to date place for new work and my steady exhibition information is on my Instagram account, @ laynejacksondesigns. I am opening a PATREON account where one can support artists with monthly donations, from tiny to large, and it can make all the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laynejackson.com
• Phone: 3128509630
• Email: studio@laynejackson.com
• Instagram: @laynejacksondesigns

Image Credit:
Jean-Marc Giboux

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