Remarks On My Work
Jerald W. Blackstock
I was sitting in Barney Googles Ice Cream Parlor with Willa the daughter of the famous W.O. Mitchell. We were buddies. This was high school 1970 and I had an essay to write and I didn't know how. Willa said, "Dad says to write the way you talk."
So began my love with first person narrative. "The first person is a narrative style as old as storytelling itself—one that, at its best, allows us to experience the world through another person's eyes." This quote is attributed to the critics and hosts of The New Yorker's "Critics at Large" podcast, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz, in the episode titled "The Elusive Promise of the First Person," published on January 9, 2025. They discuss the power of first-person narration in various forms of media.
When I discovered painting and drawing and I was stuck for subject matter. My teacher said, "just describe what's in front of you, you'll never be stuck." So, in other words, use first person narrative.
When I had stroke and my mobility kept me in a wheelchair, I described what that was like and the psychological tools I used to deal with life. That was my first book.
I lost painting and drawing with the stroke so I added cameras and computers. When it came to what to photograph the answer was the same. What's in front of me.
So it would seem that I have combined street photography with first person narrative, experiencing the world through the camera's eye.
My teachers taught me the best art is a record of a human experience.
Well here is mine.
Artist Statement
Jerald is a multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges the tactile traditions of classical European art with the boundless possibilities of digital innovation, all while interrogating the psychological undercurrents of human existence. Rooted in decades of technical mastery and informed by a career in psychotherapy, Blackstock's practice is a dynamic dialogue between the past and present, the analog and the algorithmic, and the intimate and the universal.
Trained in the rigorous techniques of the Old Masters under mentor Gary Ripley (1972–1980), Blackstock's early foundation in the materiality of painting — evident in works like 'Canada Day-Calgary in the hood' (below) — echoes the drama and luminosity of Baroque religious iconography, re-imagined through a contemporary lens. This classical grounding later expanded into digital experimentation during his studies at the Alberta University of the Arts (BFA '98), where pioneers like Alan Dunning and writer Suzette Mayr shaped his interdisciplinary ethos. His series Digital Debauchery exemplifies this fusion, marrying surreal, layered narratives with pixel-perfect precision to critique modern excess and existential disconnection.
From the 'Digital Debauchery' series
Blackstock's art is deeply informed by his dual careers in psychotherapy and education. As an addictions counselor trained in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) (Dr. Albert Ellis), he explores themes of human vulnerability and resilience, as seen in his book, 'What Good Can I Make Of This? My Experience of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy.' This provocative piece reads like a blog, interrogating identity in the digital age. Similarly, 'Muse - The Narcissists Stare' reflects on mortality and self-perception, blending HDR techniques with glitch aesthetics to evoke the fragility of memory.
His role as an educator and recreational therapist in long-term care homes further infuses his work with empathy and accessibility. Publications like 'The Duchy of Jerald Fine Art, Love, REBT and Disappointment', underscore his commitment to democratizing art, offering viewers both visual splendor and intellectual provocation.
Now based in Calgary, Blackstock channels his eclectic practice through Blackstock Art & Design, publishing limited-edition books and prints that challenge the boundaries of medium and meaning. Whether through the haunting vulnerability of street photography or the layered satire of his digital collages, his work invites viewers to confront the contradictions of contemporary life — where tradition and innovation, reason and desire, collide.
In every word, pixel and brushstroke, Jerald W. Blackstock reaffirms art's power to heal, disrupt, and transcend.
Contact
For inquiries regarding art purchases, therapy sessions, or speaking engagements: