PRESTON P. JACKSON

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I have known Preston for three years now and he may surprise you with his very legible, neat handwriting. He is known for attention to detail and his passion for his craft. He is a very talented artist who is proficient in digital illustrations, painting, and drawing. Preston is currently working on large scale fantasy illustration paintings to take to the IlluXCon convention in November. Any that he does not sell at the convention will be available for sale locally. For commission requests or questions in general, he can be contacted by clicking the email link above.

Preston says:

“At the time Sarah visited my studio to take some photos, I was on the cusp of finishing my most recent painting “Judge Deirdre” hopefully the most mature generation of my storytelling ability. As a fantasy illustrator, it’s practically my duty for the brief moment that you take my image in, to get you to pretend what you’re seeing is believable. That if only the image wasn’t confined to the two-dimensional surface it is on, it would have a life of its own if allowed to break the fourth wall. This believability can only happen if familiar visuals, such as a person, a rock, a piece of armor, are rendered and composed in such a way that is easily digestible.

“In addition to communicating a specific idea, in my work I try to give you something that you can emotionally or experientially relate to using ambiguous and clarified subject matter that allows for the narrative I’ve suggested to be co-authored by the viewer. If none of my senses are stimulated, I can’t look at an image for very long, because there isn’t any role for me to play as a viewer, there’s no deciphering or real internal dialog that gets me to ask introspective questions whether it be mundane or existential. With that being said, I hope that “Judge Deirdre” invokes an experience or memory for you that fit the story that you want to be told.”

View the images below to see Judge Deirdre being worked on by Preston. The final painting is available for viewing on his website (follow the link above).

Please note that his painting composition is Copyright (c) Preston P. Jackson and all photographs are Copyright (c) Sarah Derr Photography. Please obey copyright laws as well as respect our work by not copying or downloading his composition or my images. Thank you kindly.

This was an informal photo session and I, for whatever reason, did not think to get a headshot… oops. He does have a portrait of himself in his website’s Artist Bio. You can also see an older portrait of him here. In a couple of months (once I get around to self-developing my stash of used film), I will be able to post film photographs that I shot during this same session.

If you are an artist in the Charlottesville area and would like to be featured as well, please email me. (Click the Portrait tab on the top navigation bar for more information.)