Veronica’s Veil CXCVII and CCXVIII

Born in Raleigh, N.C., Herb Jackson has had more than 150 one-person exhibitions in the United States and abroad. A Davidson College graduate, he later taught at his alma mater from 1969 to 2011. In 1999, Jackson was given the North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor of the state, by Gov. Jim Hunt. Jackson also received the North Caroliniana Society Award for extraordinary contributions to North Carolina’s cultural heritage. 

Jackson applies paint mixed with pumice in many layers, which he then scrapes off to allow shapes and marks to come and go — reaching up to a hundred or more layers of paint. The final outcome is the result of a process of discovery similar to the life experience itself. 

In his Veronica’s Veil series, he is intrigued with the mysticism represented by the medieval myth of St. Veronica, who wiped Christ’s face as he carried his cross, leaving his image on her veil.