Born in Mexia, TX on Oct. 8, 1900, Jackson grew up on a ranch near Dallas. After entering Texas A & M University as an architecture student, he soon opted for an art career. He continued his studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the summer of 1923 he made his first trip to Mexico and established a studio near Guadalajara. While there, he was greatly influenced by Rivera and Orozco. From that time on Mexican motifs dominated his art.
The classic Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson is amply illustrated with his work. In 1928 he moved north to San Diego where he would remain. He received his M.A. degree from USC and taught at San Diego State College from 1930 until retirement in 1963. (A gallery there is named in his honor.) A pre-Columbian art specialist, he wrote articles on the subject and was honored by the Limited Editions Club and Heritage Press for his contributions. Jackson died in San Diego on March 4, 1995.
Member: San Diego Art Guild (pres.).
Exhibited:
Texas State Fair, 1926 (prize); Bohemian Club, 1928; SFAA, 1929 (prize); Southern Calif. Artists (San Diego), 1930, 1931 (prize); Calif. State Fair, 1930; Faulkner Gallery (Santa Barbara), 1933; Laguna Beach AA, 1933-34 (prize); Foundation of Western Art (LA), 1934; LACMA, 1934 prize); SFMA, 1935; Chouinard Gallery (LA), 1937; NY Worlds Fair, 1939; GGIE, 1939; Montecito Country Club, 1940; CPLH, 1946; Calif. Centennial, 1950; Yale University, 1993.
In: PAFA; San Diego Museum; Houston Museum; LACMA; NMAA.Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Southern California Artists (Nancy Moure); Creative Art, Oct. 1927; American Art Annual 1933; Who's Who in American Art 1936-73; Artists of the American West (Samuels); Plein Air Painters (Ruth Westphal); San Diego Tribune, 3-5-1995 (obituary)
