Jackson Gregory

My paintings are abstract/geometric with an emphasis on color, formal relationships and spatial ambiguity. They are not conceived with any particular end result in mind. They evolve into what they will end up being as part of a step by step problem solving process - one decision after another until there are no more decisions to be made and the painting is finished.

The painting starts as a small line drawing in pencil on tracing paper (usually) over a grid. Lines, circles, squares, triangles, etc., are drawn in, erased, and changed frequently until the drawing/structure looks “right.” The linear scale drawing is enlarged and drawn in on the canvas or panel and then preliminary color decisions are made. Areas are filled in with color; colors are changed and adjusted; additions or subtractions to the underlying drawing sometimes are needed, until the final decisions are made which will end with the finished painting. I should say that any painting that is considered finished is one where there seems to be little or no residue of doubt left. Problematic paintings have to be set aside until solutions are found later.

Although my paintings are composed of basic geometric shapes, I hope the viewer will be moved by the mystery and...

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA)