Goal
- Explore how Suzanne Jackson layers unconventional materials to build abstract paintings.
- Reflect on the whole semester by connecting Jackson's abstraction back to earlier lessons (Kandinsky's color-as-feeling, Monet's light, Surrealist dream logic).
Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love (Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, Level 2)
Crossing Ebenezer, Suzanne Jackson, 2017, acrylic wash, acrylic gel medium, acrylic detritus, firewood bag, netting, peanut shells, wood, and D-strings
Migration, Suzanne Jackson, 1998, acrylic wash on gessoed canvas
a history drawing—cracked wall, Suzanne Jackson, 2016–19, graphite, acrylic wash, coffee, and colored pencil on cotton-backed Stonehenge paper
Discussion
Jackson uses unusual materials like peanut shells and netting in her paintings — why might an artist choose to include real objects instead of only paint?
Activity
Semester show-and-tell — each student picks their favorite artwork from the whole fall semester and explains, in one sentence, what it taught them about color, light, or story.
At-home project
Make a small mixed-media piece using paint plus 1-2 "unconventional" materials from around your house (yarn, dried leaves, cut paper, fabric scraps) to express a feeling — closing out the semester.
Sources
Source: Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love · MFA Boston (on view 9/26/2026–1/18/2027)