“Angels Landing” by Curtis J. Jackson
Sue Neel
The Ocotillo Artists Group (OAG) is a collection of local artists from 13 neighboring East Valley communities working in a variety of mediums and styles. OAG hosts three public shows each year. Our next show is Saturday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at Ocotillo and Alma School Road. Visit www.ocotilloartistsgroup.com for our schedule, member artists, or information about joining our creative community.
This month we are featuring landscape artist Curtis J. Jackson, who works in oils and splits his time between Chandler, Arizona, and Mountain View, Alberta, Canada.
I asked Curtis, “What’s it like being a full-time artist?” He kind of blushed and smiled. This wasn’t really something he set out to do—on purpose—but painting and thinking of himself as an artist has helped him focus and express his creativity with purpose, making a world of difference in retirement.
Like many of us, Curtis enjoyed art classes when he was younger, but a career took priority and art fell by the wayside. During his 35-year career in corporate finance, he and his family traveled extensively and enjoyed outdoor activities that took them to beautiful places off the beaten path. He has always loved the natural world—the feeling of looking across a landscape and being pulled into it.
After retiring, Curtis returned to oil painting and discovered a natural attraction to the medium and to getting those scenic places out of his head and onto canvas.
He loves the detail, texture and rich, vibrant colors oils allow him to achieve. Some of his paintings are even mistaken for photographs. Curtis especially enjoys when people stop and look into a painting because it “speaks to them,” draws them in, and looks like “somewhere they want to be.” His work spans rocky, cactus-filled desert landscapes and the lush green waterscapes of the North.
You will often find Curtis painting during an art show, stopping to talk with onlookers, explain his techniques, and share stories about the places that inspired his work.
More recently, Curtis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a turning point for him and his family. Painting has become an important part of how he manages life with Parkinson’s, helping him feel calm and focused while giving him another way to observe his muscle control and vision.
Curtis doesn’t minimize how daunting the diagnosis can be. His message to others facing something difficult is simple: keep challenging yourself with the things you can do, focus on the joy around you, and make time for yourself every day. Some days, he says, the joy may feel very small—but you have to find it and keep moving forward.
See Curtis’s work at www.curtisjjacksonart.com and at upcoming exhibits and OAG events.