ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nikki Jackson was born and raised in England. Her father worked in the great London museums in South Kensington, giving her unparalleled exposure to the history of world art. She studied at Bath Academy of Art, and Bath College of Higher Education, before being awarded a scholarship to study with Paul Soldner, in California.

She taught in California, Alabama and New Orleans before joining the faculty at NOCCA/Riverfront in 1999. She has been a recipient of a Gane Travel Scholarship, and Surdna Foundation Fellowship.  Her work has been exhibited nationally and in Europe. This is her second exhibition at the gallery.

IN HER OWN WORDS

In The Presence Of Light

Light reveals. It draws me to the relationships between plane and edge; the softness of folds and the crispness of a sudden shift in direction. It offers an invitation to pay attention to the insignificant details that transform into metaphors for larger truths.

I love porcelain for the delicacy and purity of surface that records every touch, while  the toughness and strength allows me to make work that seems impossibly thin.

Fabric is a new obsession…with all its lushness of texture and color, and the outrageous possibilities of juxtaposition. How can I not be enamored by fake snakeskin next to slubby silk? I love the treasure hunt for just the right hue, the perfect sheen, the thick absorption of light and the almost invisible trace of layering.