Siti Mariah Jackson
西蒂玛丽娅

Artist Statement


"Chorus" is one of my watercolor paintings presented in the book "On This Island : An Artistic View of Martha's Vineyard",  co-authors by Billy Morrow Jackson and Siti Mariah Jackson, published by Spotlight Press, Champaign , Illinois , USA . It portrayed a town called Oak Bluffs with an ocean view. The dainty Victorian gingerbread houses, the charming bandstand gazebo, and the flying seagulls playing in chorus to a strumming guitar.

Chorus  和声
Water Colour On Paper
51cm X 56cm

Siti Mariah Jackson was born in Kedah Malaysia . In 1978-79 she received a Textile Design and Art Teacher's Diploma from Mara Institute of Technology in Kuala Lumpur . During the 1980's, Jackson took part in the Malaysian Art Examination Panel and taught art in public schools as well as lectured at the Specialist Teacher's Training Institute (STTI) in Malaysia. During this time she explored textile design through the use of batik painting, fabric printing and weaving. In 1985 she was awarded a Malaysian Federal Teaching Scholarship by the Ministry of Education to pursue a Master of Arts Degree in Art Education at the University of Illinois , Champaign/Urbana, Illinois. While working toward her degree, Jackson began to transition from textiles to ceramics incorporating all aspects of nature into her designs. After graduating in 1988, Siti Mariah Jackson married artist Billy Morrow Jackson and settled in Champaign . In 1999 Jackson began to explore the challenging medium of watercolor by interpreting her personal experiences from Malaysia, the United Sates and various travels throughout Europe and the Bahamas .

In 2000, Jackson began developing a new series based on the Illinois Prairies by gathering reference materials, making detailed drawings, and developing new compositions. These vivid and colorful still-lives include various fruits and vegetables as well as dramatic wild birds such as turkeys, pelicans and pheasants. The landscape series explore the ever-changing seasons of the regional Midwest including Monticello , Allerton Park and West Side Park of Champaign. Throughout these varied endeavors, Jackson also consistently produced revealing and luminous watercolor self-portraits and figure studies.

In 2003, Siti Mariah, along with her late husband Billy Morrow Jackson, were Commissioned to create a full-color coffee table book entitled: On This Island: An Artistic View of Martha's Vineyard, published by Spotlight Press, Champaign. Illinois in 2005. The book includes over 75 original paintings that not only focus on the landscape that is Martha's Vineyard but also capture the life and spirit of the people. Siti Mariah Jackson has participated in several public commissions as well as local, national and international art competitions. More than 400 of her artwork are in the public and private collections in the United States and throughout the world.

西蒂玛丽娅，出生于马来西亚，目前在美国定居。1980年马来西亚科技工艺学院毕业，1988年美国伊丽诺大修艺术教育硕士。曾担任美术教师及美术教育监考官。西蒂玛丽娅的丈夫是美国著名写实大师比利摩里。杰克森。她随丈夫在美国生活了20多年。西蒂玛丽也是美国國際女藝術家分會發起人之一， 曾受邀在世界各国美术馆举行展览。西蒂玛丽娅通的画风是属于日记形式，和画家个人的生活经历和文化背景有关。