JETHRO JACKSON: UNEARTHING
2 August - 14 September 2024
At Projects Twenty Two
Curated by Matt Retallick
Jethro Jackson’s new paintings demonstrate a significant shift in his practice. In no longer questioning his instincts, colours have become bolder, paint application increasingly agile, and an impulsive and distinct iconography has surfaced. He creates almost feverish excavations that explore his heritage and sense of belonging, inspired by an active engagement with Cornwall’s topography. For example, he regularly walks around its weather-beaten coastline, yielding to the rise and fall of the land, and on these rambles, he will regularly encounter wildlife at close proximity. This has chiefly impacted his recent work. Stopping to watch a kestrel hunt, glimpsing a fox darting across his path, witnessing fish as they shoal in their briny waltz.
For Jethro, the plunging coastal valleys of North Cornwall are akin to a theatre replete with actors. This is why many of his paintings have a deep and downwards perspective, as if looking onto a stage from above. This sense of depth is also inspired by his first-hand knowledge of what lies beneath. He is one of few people to have explored the mysterious subterranean worlds of the disused mines. He can recall its secret shimmering hues, craggy forms, and heavy atmospheres – all of which find their place in these works.
In allowing his painting process to become much more autonomous, various ‘characters’ have quickly emerged. Fragments of his memory are manifest in stout stone crosses, cottages, and sea birds. There is also a series of tenacious and warrior-like goats – and it is these that have taken Jethro most by surprise. He explained how he suddenly felt overwhelmingly compelled to paint them. Goats are inquisitive explorers, both social and independent, hardy yet emotional, and it is surely no coincidence that their letterbox pupils allow for a wider field of vision. This corresponds to Jethro’s overarching impetus; he paints to look further, deeper, beyond. In this respect he follows a modern tradition in Cornwall, where artists such as Peter Lanyon or Bryan Wynter constantly strived to see the land in new ways and from different perspectives. In a similar respect, the nude human figure appears in Jethro’s work to speak of this strong connection. Compliant flesh as a symbol for the natural and grounded, seen here in direct communication with the land.
Jethro works like a miner hewing rock. His approach is expressive and charged, and the paintings he creates unearth complex attachments to Cornwall.
Jethro Jackson: Unearthing is curated by Dr Matt Retallick.
@jethrojackson / @matt_retallick / @projectstwentytwo
