Corryn Jackson at Three Birds

By Chicago Art Magazine on Dec 20, 2009 in Featured

by Niki Grangruth

Corryn Jackson's work at Three Birds

In the backroom of Lenny & Me, a quaint vintage store in Wicker Park, is a small gallery called Three Birds. Among the handmade jewelry, vintage fur hats and retro dresses are the stylized portrait paintings of Corryn Jackson, artist and scavenger. In light of difficult economic times, it comes no surprise that some of the practices of arte povera have resurfaced. In her hunt for materials to reuse as canvases, Corryn Jackson came across photographs of anonymous servicemen discarded in the trash behind the Nazareth Church of Christ in Chicago. Upon finding the photographs, she became invested in the unknown stories of these men, and found the names and contact information for most of them. While this all seems very romantic and nostalgic, Jackson re-images the men to convey simultaneous senses of humor, mortality and reverence.

Corryn Jackson "Edwin Bartolomae"

The portraits, hung salon-style on a single wall in the back room, are recreated with exaggerated features and cool-toned skin, which makes them appear alternately menacing and comical. The disproportionate features, particularly the eyes, give hints a cubist influences, yet the likeness of each of the men is retained, based on the inclusion of the found images Jackson included in the exhibition. The blue-hued skin, along with the somewhat distorted features, seems to point at the mortality of these individuals. Although it is quite possible that some of these men are still living, the comedic grimness connoted by style and color choice makes these figures have the humorous morbidity of the characters in a Tim Burton film.

Corryn Jackson "Harry Smith"

One thing I’ve yet to address is the use of material. As stated before, Jackson often paints on found materials. Some of the portraits are traditionally painted on rectangular canvases, while others are on a mirror, skateboards, a cabinet door and a disemboweled clock. While I enjoy the use of discarded materials, I found it difficult to reconcile the difference between subject matter and material, such as “Harry Smith,” which is painted on three connected skateboards. “Arnold Glade” seems more considered, where a decorative element on the clock becomes an embellishment on the serviceman’s hat. But despite the disconnect in material from subject, the paintings are successful in conveying the differing personalities in the men, from petulant to downright goofy.