For me, visual expression has always been an instinctive, intimate, intense part of my personal growth. My art comes from my gut, changing and evolving with me. But there is a constant in my work as well, one that I undoubtedly share with all dedicated artists throughout history: an unquenchable impulse towards mark-making. The physical act of putting paint on canvas or ink on paper holds a mysterious, almost sacred power for me. Rather than starting from a pre-conceived idea (or Ideal), content and form in my work emerge through practice: the use of a variety of tools, each of which has its own distinctive voice. What is seen in the finished works – the technique of combining media like paint and India ink, crayon and pencil and collage – is for me a result rather than a cause.

So each piece evolves out of the physical act of making the piece itself. The way a particular color or shape looks and the way the mark-making tool feels often sets a piece in motion. Simple actions like varying the pressure of a piece of charcoal or gluing a torn “relic” can build color, shape and moves the imagery to its ultimate outcome, often in entirely unexpected ways. Throughout the process, the way shapes take form and are articulated keep the piece moving and growing, increasing the emotional and physical range of the imagery.

The necessity to push myself as an artist and avoid over-familiarization with a particular style or method emerged when an increase in scale, scope and an expanded range of drawing tools removed controls I’d subconsciously sought. The large-scale mixed media and collage pieces that resulted continue to evolve. Recently, a reduction in scale inspired a return to drawing, now a daily practice that informs large-scale pieces and ongoing projects. Meanwhile, a return to painting on canvas has exposed possibilities that my previous “routine” had begun to obscure.

Self-imposed disruptions in my practice help me locate new sources of imagery, renew my artistic autonomy and my capacity to explore content, and help me to move forward as an artist. My artistic goals include the desire to possess a varied range of skills, to avoid limitations or identification with a particular medium and to constantly challenge myself intellectually, creatively and emotionally.

All work ©Rebecca Jacoby 2007.
Contact: Studio @ The Crane Arts Building / Tel. 267-808-6840 /rebecca@rajacoby.com
website design provided by The Butter Group