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Art Through Symbols: The Skull

Skulls may arouse our morbid curiosity – with the knowledge each of us carries one hidden beneath the surface – yet their enduring symbolism extends far beyond anatomy. As memento mori, they remind us that we all meet the same end, but throughout art history, skulls have also embodied power, served as instruments of satire, and even become emblems of beauty. The Art Through Symbols series explores the interpretation of symbols throughout art history – be they cultural, religious, folkloric, or personal. Each article analyses a series of artworks before detailing an art-making tutorial inspired by the symbol for you to try. Art Through Symbols: The Skull Interpreting Skulls “The skulls were there and I could say something with them. To me they are as beautiful as anything I know. To me they are strangely more living than the animals walking around…” – Georgia O’Keeffe When we look at skulls, we are confronted with our own mortality – perhaps welcoming in an existential dread – or giving us the steadying reassurance that, aside from birth, death is the one experience we all share. For artists living through times of crisis, amid plagues, famines …

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A Directory of Art Charities

Art has the power to heal, uplift, and transform lives. Across different settings and experiences, organisations are using visual arts to open doors, spark connections, and support wellbeing. From creative workshops for people living with dementia to platforms that celebrate the artistic talents of children in underfunded areas, charities are using art to make a real difference. From initiatives that protect the environment through creativity to those that champion the work of neurodivergent artists, many projects are creating meaningful and lasting impact through the arts In this article, we’ll introduce a selection of charities doing exceptional work through art worldwide and provide references so you can contribute. Each organisation reflects a shared belief: that creativity has the power to include, to elevate, and to inspire. Above image: artist Afonso Rocha at work A Directory of Art Charities Art Charities in the United Kingdom Art For Youth An annual exhibition showcasing emerging artists while raising funds for UK Youth. Over 37 years, it has generated over £2 million to support millions of young people facing disadvantage, with all sales and donations benefiting both artists and vulnerable youth across the UK. Art for Charity Founded in 2012, Art for …

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Introducing Jackson’s Pigment Stories Book

We’re thrilled to announce Pigment Stories, a book containing over sixty richly-illustrated pigment entries that bring the history of artists’ colour to life. A continuation of the social media short film series, these stories trace how pigments have shaped art, science, and culture, from earthy ochres used in prehistoric caves to the cutting-edge chemistry of modern colours. Introducing Jackson’s Pigment Stories Book Pigment Stories: The Story So Far In June 2023, Jackson’s published the first short film in the Pigment Stories series on social media. It began as a simple idea – we wished to share the histories behind the colours on artists’ palettes, past and present. This drew on research we had accumulated over years of speaking to artists about colour, and articles about pigments by Evie Hatch, Studio and Materials specialist at Jackson’s. Evie wrote her first feature on the Blog in 2019 while working in the Customer Services Team, a path that soon led her to writing for the Blog full-time and, later, to study History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art. When we began telling these stories on screen, the aim was to create a series that was both …

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Expert Advice on Starting an Artist Collective

Starting an artist collective is an empowering act that can both ground you as a group and propel you as individual artists. In this article, we’re going to cover what an artist collective is, what the benefits are, and how to go about setting one up. Expert Advice on Starting an Artist Collective What is an Artist Collective? An artist collective is a group of artists with shared intentions. The group is usually united by a similar aesthetic sensibility, or a mutual perspective or belief system. There is a historic pattern of solidarity with collectives. Over the centuries we have seen pioneering artists gather together to be a mouth piece in turbulent times, or to stand up against the structures of the art world. When we think about artist groups like the Impressionists, who formed an alliance as the Anonymous Co-operative Society of Artists after being rejected from the French academy exhibitions; I wonder, had they not come together, would they have become as well-renowned as individual artists? More recently, artist activists Guerilla Girls arguably make more of an impact as a group. When artists come together a powerful form of alchemy occurs, a new kind of …

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Licensing and Copyright: What Every Selling Artist Needs to Know

As artists, we sometimes face the risk of others replicating our work without our permission. This can be a very challenging and disheartening occurrence for artists to deal with. At Jackson’s, we know this experience all too well and appreciate how frustrating it can be. It is very important to know your rights as a creator, and to know how to protect your artistic property from those who may want to copy it or use it without the correct permissions. In this article, Joanne Milmoe of DACS, a not-for-profit organisation that offers guidance on how to protect your rights as an artist and maximise your royalties, explains the basics of copyright and how you can safeguard your artwork from infringement, as well as profit from licensing your work. Licensing and Copyright: What Every Selling Artist Needs to Know By Joanne Milmoe As an artist, creating and selling your work is your livelihood. But once your art leaves your studio, what happens to your rights as its creator? Did you know that selling a physical artwork does not mean you have given away all your legal rights to it. Copyright and licensing are important tools that not only protect …

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Art Through Symbols: The Moon

The moon doesn’t just move our seas, and mark time through its phases, but is an ever-evolving symbol in the visual arts that has collected a broad net of meanings. From rebirth to madness, and introspection to immortality, our fascination with the moon is imbued with the reassurance that it’ll be in our sky as long as we are. The Art Through Symbols series explores the interpretation of symbols throughout art history – be they cultural, religious, folkloric, or personal. Each article analyses a series of artworks, before detailing an art-making tutorial inspired by the symbol for you to try. Art Through Symbols: The Moon Interpreting the Moon The moon has hung bright on our collective visual consciousness throughout history. Perhaps we are so enchanted by it because it’s our closest planetary neighbour in an endless universe, or that its cycles plainly mark the passage of time. The moon has always been associated most broadly with eternity, appearing to every living being for as long as our planet has existed and will remain. Our tides roll because of its constant tugging, and folklore and mythology both suggest the full moon pulls people into madness or beastly …

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Expert Advice on Curating your Own Artwork

Curating your own artwork is a very useful and enjoyable skill to hone. With the rise of artist-led art fairs it’s well worth getting comfortable with it. We’re going to look at some of the occasions when you’ll need to self-curate, along with how to identify the purpose of your collections, the desired viewer experience, and some tips to get you thinking like a curator. Expert Advice on Curating your Own Artwork When Will I Need to Curate My Own Artwork? Curating art sounds grand but you’ve probably already done it without realising. Anytime you post to your social media you are essentially curating your artwork. Think of it as editing. You can do this to suit different environments both online and in person including websites, social media, online platforms, art markets, art trails, open houses, open studios, studio visits, art fairs, self-curated solo or group exhibitions, and open call applications. Even if you don’t have an official opportunity to curate your artwork, it’s an affirming exercise to get some perspective and see how it fits together in small or large collections. Artists with varied practices often ask me to help them find cohesion in their work …

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Inside the Sketchbook of Noemi Conan

Polish-born, London-based painter Noemi Conan discusses her lifelong impulse to gather inspirational fragments of data, and how she curates these visual mementos within her sketchbook as a way to process her busy mind. Noemi’s sketchbook serves as a creative receptacle for her collection of found materials and snippets of inspiration compiled from films, exhibitions and long journeys. Through this process of visual journaling, Noemi is able to explore the themes of migration, womanhood and identity that are central to her work. Inside the Sketchbook of Noemi Conan I’m Noemi Conan, a Polish painter based in London for the time being. In my work, I explore the ways visual storytelling can aid me in talking about my conflicted experience of migration, self-image, and womanhood. I paint women, cats and conifers, smoking after dark, and extended hangouts at roadsides. I arrived at what I would call a sketchbook by combining my lifelong obsession with collecting visual data – labels, dried plants, napkins, stickers, a particularly tasty typeface or logo, a ridiculous headline in the daily newspaper – with the written scaffolding I was encouraged to build by tutors at art school. My brain is a messy, overstuffed attic …

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Inside the Sketchbook of Katie Moody

Katie Moody is a mixed media artist based on the south coast of England. Her work takes a joyful approach to absorbing the world around her, favouring playfulness and experimentation over the pursuit of perfection. In this article, she discusses the vastly important role sketchbooks play for her as an artist, the broad range of materials she uses, and how her intuitive approach leads to finished pieces within her sketchbooks. Inside the Sketchbook of Katie Moody I have so many sketchbooks on the go! I fill them all with a variety of subjects rather than ones with specific themes, though I do love the idea of seeing the progression more clearly that way. They are very mixed, and I reach for them based on media and size. There are some I know work better with wet mediums, with paper that holds up to the amount of layers and materials I throw at it. Others work better with thicker paint layers or dry materials. Most have smooth hot-pressed paper, which I love for brush pens. Sometimes I just want something small that’s easy to carry when I’m drawing outside. I have many half-filled sketchbooks, but they’ll get …

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Category: Features & Editorials