Jackson Powers

Personal Statement: ​ As an elementary student, I routinely finished my classwork ahead

of time, and was often told by my teachers to draw at my desk, while waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. ​ Drawing and painting opened an avenue of personal exploration that was previously absent in my academic studies, and led to a growing curiosity in art history and art theory. ​ I am particularly drawn to artists who pursued innovative and experimental approaches to art-making like Willem de Kooning, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joan Mitchell, and Chaim Soutine. ​ Their raw reinterpretation of what is possible in art is something I seek to explore in my own practice. ​ This past summer, I spent two weeks taking Experimental Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I created a series of paintings and mixed-media works beyond the creative boundaries of what I had previously been permitted to produce in high school art classes. ​ In part, this was a matter of scale, as the instructor encouraged my interest in large-format work. ​ Working on a seven-foot canvas allowed me to make big, physical, gestural compositions—a process of both creative discovery and self-discovery that allowed me to combine several small technical aspects and many large personal themes