Native American Resource Center presents Shawn Jacobs

The Native American Resource Center on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is pleased to announce the opening of a new art exhibit, Abstract Reality.

"This is a collection of paintings by Lumbee artist Shawn Jacobs, a young man of 28 years whose capacity for creative thought and artistic expression is obvious from his works," said Resource Center Director Stan Knick. "It is also the first time in recent years that we have had an entirely abstract art exhibit."

Jacobs has been painting seriously for about 10 years. He was a student of well-known local artists and teachers DeLora Cummings and James Locklear, but his abstract work is a considerable departure from either of their more realistic styles.

In Abstract Reality, viewers can see what Jacobs calls "expression in pure form." What exactly this means may differ in interpretation from one viewer to another, but it is clear to any patient viewer that a great deal of thought and feeling, as well as creative energy, went into these pieces.

On the surface, it may seem to the casual viewer that there is a constant way of presenting the artistic expression in this exhibit of abstract paintings. But on closer examination, it becomes evident that there is just as much diversity from piece to piece in Abstract Reality as there has been in our more realistic exhibits.

For example, in "Dacrygelosis" (oil/acrylic/aluminum) there is a kind of light-hearted feeling that evokes thoughts of spring. "Awake In My Sleep" (acrylic) is a tense but beautiful explosion of color. "Psychentonia" (mixed media) is a dark and almost ominous mixture of textures and hues. And "Afterthoughts Of An Addict' (oil/acrylic) has an autumnal quality which is reminiscent of swirling leaves in a November wind.

Jacobs says: "This is another point of view from what we usually see; this is my reality."

"And although some of the works may seem less accessible than others to some viewers, certainly the reality which Jacobs expresses in Abstract Reality reaches far into the soul of art, deep into the heart of the human condition," Dr. Knick said. "Taken as a whole, Abstract Reality dramatically demonstrates that Shawn Jacobs is a young artist with a bright future."

Abstract Reality will be on display in Old Main Building through March 2004.

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