About the
Artist Drawing since the third grade, Earl Jackson realized his interest
and talent for art at an early age. Jackson, who was born in 1948 in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
and raised in Willow run, a small village 32 miles west of Detroit, attended Wastenaw
Community College before transferring the Eastern Michigan University to purse art
studies. Jackson had to work full time, however, and could only study art in his off
hours, and so He had to forego finishing his art
degree. For the next 15 years, he did continue to develop his skills working as a
professional picture framer during the day while drawing and painting late into the night.
Jacksons first public show came in 1970 at the Ann Arbor
Street Art fair, which led to Eight years of exhibiting
in art fairs. But Earl had bigger dreams and decided it was time to pursue a different
avenue and learned black and white printmaking over a five-year period. However, it was not until two journeys to Africa (Senegal) in
1985 and Kenya in 1988 That he was inspired to paint
"Following the Path." It was a turning point in his life, because it helped him
achieve his lifelong dream only a few months later, When he began working as an artist
full-time. Jacksons art has since been exhibited
in the African American Museum of History in Detroit
Washtenaw Community College, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Chicagos Museum
of Science and Industry, and the National Gallery of Art in Dakar Senegal. Each year Jackson gives back to his community by visiting schools
and sharing his art
With the students. He has been a member of the National
Conference of Artists since 1983 and the Ann Arbor Art Association, and he is a founding
member of the new African American Cultural and Historical Museum in the Ann
Arbor/Ypsilanti area. |
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