"Cute Cookie"

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nikki Jackson was born and raised in England. Her father worked in the great London museums in South Kensington, giving her unparalleled exposure to the history of world art. She studied at Bath Academy of Art, and Bath College of Higher Education, before being awarded a scholarship to study with Paul Soldner, in California.

She taught in California, Alabama and New Orleans before joining the faculty at NOCCA/Riverfront in 1999. She has been a recipient of a Gane Travel Scholarship, and Surdna Foundation Fellowship.  Her work has been exhibited nationally and in Europe. This is her third exhibition at the gallery.

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IN HER OWN WORDS

Fragile:             Delicate - easily broken or damaged or destroyed.
                        Vulnerable.
                        Flimsy - lacking substance or significance.
                                     Tenuous or thin.
                        Frail and thus often of subtle or intricate structure.
                                    Subtle: Hard to grasp. Cleverly contrived. Skillful.
                                    Intricate: Having a great deal of fine detail. Complex.

There are so many “If’s” involved in producing a body of work.  If the clay does what I think it will do, (or better yet, something wonderful and unexpected). If I can repeat it. If I can move it in its ultra-fragile state.  If it doesn’t collapse in its final firing. If this idea develops in a manner that’s interesting. If the work avoids being trite and obvious. On and on and on.

Often my grasp on what I’m doing seems tenuous at best.

By the time the work is ready to be seen, I hope it has achieved a state that is subtle and intricate, retaining a feeling of delicate vulnerability without falling into the trap of being merely flimsy.

So here are all the fragile if’s made visible…God willing and IF the creek don’t rise.

P.S. It’s a lot stronger now than it looks.