Digital Artist Matt Jackson and his Art

My art is born of depression.

Beginning in 2007, I found myself as the senior government official overseeing a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing to combine their large space rocket enterprises. This combination is called United Launch Alliance.

My ego was huge. I played the game very well. When I attended meetings with generals they listened to what I had to say. The Pentagon called me in to brief my progress. I had a big head and needed a new hat! I was arrogant, bold and opinionated. I was consumed by my job to the exclusion of my family and the truth of who I was meant to be. I was extremely successful in what I “accomplished.”

In 2009, as the pressures and excesses mounted, I was toppled and descended into a profound depression. I was out of work for two months. When I returned I was eventually transferred into a less stressful, less prominent position. Some would call it failure.
As I recovered, I found solace through Photo Shop PS CS6. I began making pictures and eventually reclaimed my life through art. The images I create speak to the person who was hidden for all those years. I am liberated from the mundane world I once dominated. Art has set me free!

Since 2009, I have been developing a vision of art unique to my experience. Some call it impressionism, abstract art, surreal or composite art. However, it all fits into the category of digital art. All my images are photo based, most taken by me, but some taken by friends or relatives, or are from the public domain. I will often combine images to achieve the vision I am striving for at that moment. I do not claim to follow a particular genre, though I believe a common strain runs through my work. A preponderance of my work is limited editions.

My art is full of motion and bright with color.

I believe my work appears best when infused on a sheet of aluminum. This is how I present much of my work at art shows.

Now, I show my work in Denver and in mountain art fairs throughout Colorado. People are excited by my images, and I consider myself moderately successful having sold over 2000 images.

I am retired now from the Department of Defense and I am actively supported in my artistic endeavors by my spouse of 45 years and my children. I don’t know what the future has in store for me. I do know that this journey is not over.