Parkville Art Gallery:  What's a popular opinion re art that you don't agree with? Or, what's a motto that you stand by when approaching the work?

Gary Jacobs:  A popular opinion about art that I disagree with is that it takes talent to make art and only certain people can do it. My feeling is that art is open to anyone, and all it takes is a desire to look inside and respond to something in a way that may bring uncertainty, vulnerability, or discomfort. Other than that, I often say that the making of art is just tricks and techniques, and the making of abstract art is just tricks and techiques unhitched from limitations.

Art is only as much as your imagination can unlock. It's something that can take you to the heart of who you are and to an understanding of human nature and the universe. It's a philosophy, a religion, and a practice. Art is not about a result, a product, or a sale. It's not about beauty, or pleasing someone, or succeeding, although it can lead to all these things. The true artist separates themselves from all of this, though. They do it to be an individual, independent, and free, and the more they do so, the more they gain. Art dies in an economic or social structure.

Art is a process and connot be constrained. To get the most out of it, one has to commit themself to pursuing it at any cost, any consequence, and to any length it takes to get some satisfaction despite our human flaws out of doing even something simple well. We forget ourselves, we lose ourselves, and ultimately we find something bigger than ourselves. I often ask myself, "It may look good, but is it Art?" and that's a hard pill to swallow, sometimes. Art has its own rules, though. Learn them. Enjoy them. Be amazed by them. It is them and them alone that opens up a world--worlds--of possibities.  2025