Art at the Park – Meet the artists: Piers Jackson

‘I visited New York galleries in my early 20s and it made me question why I was painting like an artist from 100 years ago’

I was shown a slide show of paintings at the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain) during a General Studies lesson in my first year of A-levels at school and while I had no previous interest in art, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was the most exciting thing ever.

After the lesson I went to my housemaster and said I’d like to study A-level art. I was very lucky because the art teacher was brilliant and responded to my enthusiasm.

I was supposed to read Art and Art History at Goldsmiths, University of London, but I was already selling my paintings. I lived in Notting Hill Gate and London so how was I meant to get all the way to Lewisham, south-east London every day?!

My style has evolved over the years, it’s abstract rather than figurative, and definitely geometric. I love simplicity of form.

I started out as a figurative painter which is all very well when you can choose your subject but, as soon as people wanted to commission me, I didn’t like it.

More inspiration

On a trip to New York in my early 20s I visited all the galleries and it made me question why I was painting like an artist from 100 years ago. When I returned to London I gave my oil paints to a young friend and started painting on glass with a type of paint made famous by US artist Jasper Johns.

I met jazz singer George Melly in my late 20s and he encouraged my interest in Surrealism by lending me his copy of Nadja by Andre Breton. I was very impressed by Breton’s writing and started making boxes which Melly described as ‘a move on from Surrealism’.

In one of those boxes I placed a cube coloured like a rainbow and that was the beginning of my obsession with geometry. It was the point at which I really found my own voice.

I tend to turn an idea over in my mind a good deal before putting anything down on paper and, at the moment, I’m thinking of an arrow artwork. Drawing is useful at a certain stage, however, I choose to delay it. Having said that, some ideas come very quickly and out of the blue.

Art at the Park exhibits

For Art at the Park I’ll be exhibiting two artworks from my most recent collection, an artist’s proof of a screen print that I made last year and an old favourite that has been lingering in my studio for a few years. Both pieces are geometric. I gild the three-dimensional element and use either pigment dyed card or gouache paint for the coloured surfaces.

‘The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche’ has to do with the square root of three while the smaller artwork ‘Us’ is a play on the geometric volume known as an icosahedron.

(Image: left; "The Marriage of Cupid", right; "Us")

Home-Start Essex

Art at the Park made me aware of Home-Start Essex. Personally, I think a charity that gives support to young families is a very worthy cause. There’s a primary school at the end of my street so each morning I hear snippets of conversation from my bathroom as parents and carers walk their children to school. It’s a tender age and young families deserve all the support they can get.

Piers’ previous exhibitions Solo exhibitions include Encant Gallery, Menorca (2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2014 and 2012); UNIT9, London (2018); Amar Gallery, London (2017); Serena Morton Gallery, London (2015 and 2013); T1+2, London (2008); Eyestorm, London (2005). Selected group exhibitions include: ‘Paper’ curated with Flora Hesketh & Omar Mazhar, Tristan Hoare Gallery, London (2023); ’Displace Menorca’ curated by Anto Rabazas and Jorge Varas, Encant Gallery (2022); ‘Abstraccion Geometrica/Desplazamientos’ curated by Anto Rabzas y Jorge Varas, Facultad de Bellas Artes, Madrid (2019); ‘Geometrica’ curated by Omar Mazhar with Tristan Hoare, Tristan Hoare Gallery, London (2018); ‘Beyond’ curated by Rowena Chiu, Unit 1 Gallery|Workshop, London (2017). (Image: Piers Jackson will be exhibiting at Art at the Park.)

 

Art at the Park in aid of Home-Start at Braxted Park, Witham, runs from February 1-4, 2024, supported by Howden. Work will be on display in the grounds and Georgian house with prices expected to range from around £15 to £50,000. Tickets from artatthepark.co.uk

About Home-Start Essex Home-Start Essex is a family support charity, which helps to give children the best start in life by helping to support parents and caregivers to feel less isolated, to build their confidence and find ways to manage the challenges they face. Home-Start Essex builds trusting, helpful relationships with families and delivers a range of support to meet their individual needs, including volunteer-led home visiting, family groups, wellbeing services, school-readiness and behaviour support programmes.

Insurance advice

If you own an item with special provenance, be sure to add the information to your insurance policy as this could impact its value. Retain the invoice, paperwork, photographs and serial number (if relevant) as effective record-keeping is an essential part of building a collection.

You will need to keep up to date with its value, as in the event of a claim you don’t want to realise you’re underinsured. It’s also important to decide upon the basis of valuation. Most times it should be for insurance purposes, but in some circumstances you may be able to insure at auction value, although bear in mind that what you agree may be the most you get back.

To speak to Howden about your insurance, please call 020 8256 4901 or email privateclients@howdeninsurance.co.uk