Today we’d like to introduce you to Karrie Jackson
Hi Karrie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As an artist and an art teacher in these rapidly changing times, I find it is so important to consider both the authenticity of what we create and its relevance to our inner life and outer community.
My work has often sought to bridge both nature and culture. This harmony is critical for healthy living. As we see ourselves as a part of nature, we are less likely to be the culprits that send it spinning out of balance. There are a few ways that I have been approaching this through my artwork. First off is engagement with nature. Over the past 30 years, I have found most of my artistic inspiration from sitting on the shore. After exhausting the many viewpoints of the water and culture from beach to bay on Coronado Island in addition to the influx of artists and photographers capturing the space, I set out for a different type of fieldwork. What started off as a solo trip out into the San Diego waters quickly turned into a regular outings with a group of local ladies on a 6 person RIB Boat. Captained by Adventure Whale Watching, we would board the refurbished Navy Seal boat early on weekend mornings to set out anywhere from 1 mile to 17 miles off shore. Each adventure provided us with a connection to a part of nature that is not often witnessed. From being surrounded by pods of over 300 dolphins to witnessing the most massive creature on earth, the Blue Whale, we came to appreciate the magnificence sitting just beyond our vision from shore. As an artist, I am still pondering if and how I can represent these experiences with my art without dipping into the typical wildlife artwork that proliferate coastal communities. In my process, I am stockpiling reference photos, video and sensory impressions from the adventures out to sea. So far I have just sipped my toe in the water with a painting of Point Loma from a perspective only seen by boat as well as a digital artwork of our famous sea lions lounging on a buoy in the bay. The sea lion piece will be featured as apart of the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission Banner Series on Orange Avenue coming this fall. Come on out to the island and drive through the beautiful display of local artists!
Another very important way that I engage culture through my artwork is by teaching and coaching young artists. As the department chair and teacher of the Visual Art Conservatory at Coronado School of the Arts, I feel the greatest fulfillment in passing on knowledge of the fine arts and supporting students in carving their own authentic path as an artist. It is truly a calling and privilege to be involved in such work. This will be my 14th year teaching in the studio. Coronado School of the Arts, fondly known as COSA, is open for all San Diego high school students to apply with a portfolio in February of each year for the following academic year. About two-thirds of my students are interdistrict transfers that commute to the high school daily. Families can visit https://cosasandiego.com/Students/index.html to find information about how to apply. Students in CoSA’s Visual Art study the fundamentals of art , develop college portfolios and have the opportunity to practice figure drawing from live models. We engage with the community through exhibits and public art a few times per year. Students develop perceptual skills and visual literacy. Above all else, the art students grow, share and have fun making art with like minded creative peers. Each year student artists exhibit their bodies of artwork. Many graduates harvest the dedication they have invested in their work, and are awarded with some of the highest paying scholorships from leading art schools and Universities across the nation.For up and coming students, this summer we had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the CHS Softball Team to design a mural for the home dugout. I worked with CoSA Visual Arts Graduate, Emi Hitson to scale and chalk the design for the 30 foot mural. We really relied on Emi’s expertise in proportions and figure drawing to help make sure the silhouettes of the pitcher, batter and catcher were to scale so it was ready for the Summer Intensive middle and high school students to paint. This was the first opportunity for many of the students to work on a mural. What I loved the most was watching them make new friends while they worked together. It was a real testament to how creativity can bring people together.
As we have become visually overwhelmed by the fast forward flood of technological and social advances, how does our art step out from the stream and make a real and relevant difference? In an attempt to embrace our technological times, I have also been navigating the world of digital painting. The focus of this most recent body of work, the Foster & Forever Series in my opinion, is being threatened by the recent policies communicated by Meta claiming their right to use content posted on their social media platforms to train generative AI. At this moment, I have halted production of the digital painting and progress reel posts of the Foster & Forever Seriesin order to consider the implications of its use in training generative AI. The new Meta AI policies for Facebook and Instagram couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. The Foster & Forever Series was developed to bring the current crisis facing animal shelters through digital painting in the high-traffic realm of social media groups. I saw myself as an artist taking a step towards Artivism in my artwork through both content and media. Digital Painting was a way of leaving a smaller footprint on the environment than amassing acrylic paintings. The Foster & Forever Series aimed to harness the power of social media groups to promote local shelter pups to find their forever families through pet portraits.
The overwhelming need to place dogs in both foster or forever homes is very much a cross-border concern, especially with Greyhounds. After doing a little more research on which artwork from my Foster & Forever Series to display in the Coronado Arts World Design Capital Exhibit, I discovered the last Greyhound Track in Mexico, Agua Caliente, which happens to be just over the border in Tijuana closed this July for good. Over 15O Greyhounds are up for adoption. While the county is already in a canine crisis with shelters saturated like never before, adding 150 Greyhounds in need of adoption to the mix is daunting. Often around 3 years old when they retire, Greyhounds can have serious injuries that need extra care. They have also been crate trained in a way that can make timing for bathroom breaks a daily periodic issue.
Known to be a sweet and gentle breed, these greyhounds need some loving retirement homes!
A portrait of Queeny, a Greyhound up for adoption at Fast Friends will be on display in the Coronado Arts Exhibit for the World Design Capital celebration this fall in hopes to call attention even more attention to the issue.
Fast Friends is also working hard to place over 50 of the Greyhounds, so if you are equipped to make a difference, you can adopt at: https://www.fastfriends.org/
For artists, imagery is our vocabulary. Artwork channels our voice into a perspective that we can share with humanity. Whether it be our ocean and its inhabitants, our youth and their education, our human rights in relation to the unethical misuse of AI or the overwhelming crisis that face our domestic furry friends, art can bring soul to the circumstances in hopes to shift our attention towards appreciation and responsible action.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Challenges are inherent in the creative process. Its the sweet spot between challenge and inspiration that keep artists coming back to do the work. I will say, however, that the times we live in pose dynamic challenges that artists have never been faced with before. Whether its oversaturation or the threat of our work being used to train generative AI, it’s a challenge to maintain authentic creativity. For now, I am taking the opportunity to return to my artistic practices and training pre-digital era to come back into alignment with what feels authentic to my creative process.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think my story reveals a lot about what is important to me as an artist. In a way, I think it is important we collaborate as artists right now, or at least have open dialogue with other artists about how we are choosing to navigate the complexities of our times. Our inner world is just as important to maintain, and I believe each one of us excavates and expresses our personal energies in unique ways. This perspective informs my teaching of art. I may offer a sample platter of methods and techniques for the beginners to try, but I always encourage some aspect of choice. As students’ personal interests and pathways emerge, I tend to teach through encouragement. In the end, as an artist and a teacher, I land somewhere between the philosophical and practical. I dedicate the majority of my energy to supporting the young artists’ vision for themeslves.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Well, this is tough. Follow your intuition! In art school, I listened to about two-thirds of what I was taught and ignored the rest in an attempt to maintain my own unique essence that I had invested in for so long. I think when you take on someone as a mentor, you must listen with wisdom and respect. Be cognizant of the greater scope of what they are trying to teach you. Also honor your own inner voice and experience. A mentor can help ask questions based on their extensive knowledge of the artistic terrain, but it is always you that should be driving. The ancient “Guru” was meant to be the Guru within.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kare4art.com
