Contemporary Artist
Biography
Maine-based artist Carson Jackson is a self-taught contemporary abstract artist known for his distinctive style, combining mixed media and found objects to create unique works that challenge conventional interpretation. He's developed many of his own unique styles over his career and now combines them to create his pieces. His work, a reflection of his life's journey: a treasure hunt of experiences, moments, and images, each lovingly transmuted into his art.
With unique style and guided by his curiosity and an inclination towards the unusual, Carson's artworks resonate with the interplay of darkness and light, illustrating life's trials in a poetry of visual narrative. As the son of a Cuban refugee, he has embarked on an extraordinary journey that has spanned both geographically and professionally.
Jackson's travels have taken him from the seaside gardens of Ogunquit, Maine to the fierce El Salvadorian surf, through the Fjords of Norway, and during his period living in the Outer Banks. Prior to his career in art, Jackson worked as a model in Central America and as a creative director, experiences that further enhanced his artistic sensibilities.
His prior career in healthcare, healing people, has given him unique insights and perspectives which show in his work. Having helped with life-saving procedures and seen the fragility and resilience of life first-hand adds an emotional and vivid depth to his canvases. Working from Button Factory Studio in Portsmouth, NH and Portland, Maine, Jackson's work resonates from the coastal regions of Maine and New Hampshire to the captivating Outer Banks.
Selected Works
Acrylic, charcoal, ash, paste, crushed rock on canvas. A series exploring the primordial and elemental forces that underpin existence.
Acrylic, charcoal, pastels on canvas. A visceral series that captures movement, rhythm, and raw energy on canvas.
Acrylic and pastels on canvas. An exploration of raw nature and elemental spirit, rendered in sweeping gesture and luminous color.
Sun-soaked coastal landscapes rendered in vibrant, gestural abstraction — capturing the light, movement, and spirit of the New England shoreline.
A deeply personal series examining identity, heritage, and the complex terrain of self — the Cuban-American experience transformed into large-scale abstract works.
Unbecoming explores the fragile boundary between form and dissolution. Carson Jackson turns toward the human figure, allowing bodies to emerge from the canvas only to fragment and drift back into abstraction. Working with layered acrylic and fluid washes of color, Jackson builds the surface through an intuitive process of accumulation and erosion.
The Mania Series explores the charged space where emotion, memory, and instinct collide. These paintings arise from moments of heightened intensity, where thought accelerates and the mind becomes both builder and breaker of its own landscape. Sweeping arcs, fractured lines, and flashes of raw color reveal the cyclical nature of the manic state — a study of intensity where chaos becomes creation.
Acrylic and pastels on canvas.
Acrylic, pastels, crushed rock on canvas.
Exhibitions
Portsmouth, NH — 2024–Present
Portsmouth, NH — 2023–Present
Kennebunk, ME
Portland, ME — Solo Exhibition
Portland, ME — Group Exhibition
Boston, MA
Warren, RI
Kittery, ME — Artist in Residence
Dover, NH — "Figures in the Landscape" Exhibition
Portsmouth, NH — Solo Exhibition: A Journey Through Carson's Past Works
Ogunquit, ME — Juried Art Show
Ogunquit, ME
Ogunquit, ME
York, ME — 5 years of exhibited art and resident artist
Donated works for auction to benefit a nonprofit providing art therapy to trauma survivors
Press & Recognition
Featured in Equestrian Living's annual Gold List issue, spotlighting Carson Jackson's equestrian-inspired abstract work and his connection to the horse as a symbol of strength, freedom, and untamed spirit. Read the feature →
"His renowned work resonates from the coastal regions of Maine and New Hampshire to the captivating Outer Banks, significantly impacting the art world."
Solo exhibit featured alongside a group show — drawing contrast in focus and approach.
Commission a Work
Each commissioned work is a collaboration — a chance to translate a place, feeling, or story into something entirely your own. Carson works directly with collectors to develop pieces that are personal, considered, and built to last.
Begin an InquiryReach out with a sense of what you're looking for — subject, mood, size, and where the work will live. There are no wrong starting points.
Carson will respond personally to discuss your ideas, share relevant works for reference, and propose an approach. A 50% deposit secures your place in the studio schedule.
Works are typically completed within 6–12 weeks. Carson shares progress updates throughout. Delivery is arranged directly — locally, nationally, or internationally.
Contact
For inquiries about available works, commissions, exhibitions, or press, please reach out directly. Carson welcomes collectors, curators, and fellow artists alike.
