Featherly, Jack. Sunbathing Animals, 2016. 2018 Individual Artist Fellow, Oregon Arts Commission.
Originally published February, 2018
As critical as he is playful, Jack Featherly is as concerned with the relationship of reality contained in a painting as he is with reality itself. By challenging what could be considered the “safe space” of abstract forms, his use of narrative allows for a structure dealing with difficult cultural issues that cross gender and racial boundaries. Therefore, any of the artist’s paintings can send you coursing down a network of ideas and associations. They are promiscuous, trenchant, unceasingly inventive and sometimes even funny by referencing cartoonish drawings. Featherly completed his BFA at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Recent solo exhibitions were presented at Envoy Enterprises in New York, NY; Upfor in Portland and Mesler/Feuer in New York, NY. Featherly’s works have appeared in exhibitions throughout the United States and in France, Germany, South Korea and Japan. The corporate collections of Progressive and Chase Bank, as well as various private collections include his work. Featherly was part of Portland 2016: A Biennial of Contemporary Art, curated by Michelle Grabner and presented by Disjecta Contemporary Art Center. He is represented by Upfor, Portland.
Courtesy of the Oregon Arts Commission.
Artist Credit: Jack Featherly