Jacob Littlejohn, Views from San Francisco

Leo: Jake, how are you?

Jacob: I'm doing pretty good thanks, all things considering

L: Glad to hear it, definitely trying times at the minute. Let’s just wind it back for anyone who doesn’t follow your work (crazy those people exist but there we are…)

J: During my residency at Leith school of art I was given the opportunity to work with tutors closely in order to collate a portfolio of work together to apply towards a masters. I thought given the support I would aim for something a bit further afield and came to a conclusion between the west coast or east coast of America - given the history of abstract painting in NY and San Francisco for its very specific Californian landscape, climate and culture. Knowing the costs of schools here I didn’t expect much, but thought why not give it a go - to my surprise it worked in my favour, kind of. I was lucky enough to be selected for the fellowship at The San Francisco Art institute, so I decided to go. Then covid, of course. So forward another year and things managed to sort themselves out enough that I was able to make the journey.

L: I remember it being a real journey for this to happen, but fantastic you are out there and taking in some new air. What has been the biggest challenges for you since being out there?

J: Practically, finding a place to live that was financially manageable was the first big challenge, luckily after a decent struggle I found a nice room next to golden gate park with some quality people so that was a success. I think the biggest challenges I have come across with my work has to be continuing to work freely between a variety in scale and being hyper conscious about the materials I choose to use and the costs they can carry. Luckily, learning some basics about making my own materials and sourcing these myself has helped answer some of these contentions. I have also been considering the relevance of my work in our particularly fragmented world. What am I contributing as an artist and what am I trying to say with the work. Something that is not particularly easy to answer and I am in fact still trying to iron this out. I also became aware that I was beginning to lean more and more into the process of making the work, which I think is important to a degree - however I also wanted to touch on what can be critiqued or challenged by my process and realise the importance and significance of idea based work.

L: Finding somewhere to live is hard enough in the UK is hard enough, glad to hear you managed to get it sorted and are enjoying it. Sounds like your work is developing, definitely some big concepts being touched on here. What have you been doing to develop your practice?

J: In quite a few ways. I have been immersing myself in my environment and studying the Californian landscape intensely. This has continued to take shape through my painting practice like previous iterations but with focus on the implications of gestures and mark making. I have also been developing my three dimensional processes and as of lately I have been dedicating time to my written responses, something that is completely out of my comfort zone - which is something I wanted and can be interpreted as short narrative works, poetry and concrete visual poems. I have been continuing to develop my usage and experimentation with natural pigments, which are so specific to my location and important to the painting philosophies I hold, which I believe is integral to the direction of my studies.

L: Okay, interesting you have taken the written and conceptual element further, I think pushing oneself is always going to lead to breakthroughs. With regards to the landscapes you have been studying, where is the best place you have been so far?

J: It would have to be Mount Tamalpais, in Marin county just over the bridge. You can spot it from most places throughout the city. It has a presence that’s fuelled me to try and describe and present in my work. I spend a lot of my time cycling and walking around it, looking up at or looking at my surroundings from upon it. It's been my main source of study, spending time drawing from it and reflecting on my experiences and journeys to and from it. I would encourage all to read Journey to Mount Tamalpais, by Etell Adnan to experience a truly powerful representation of the mountain, how it fascinated her and stayed with her in her life and work.

I took a trip to Big Sur with my dear friend Hamish a few weeks ago and cycling down the coast line, resting our legs in the refreshing river was a memory I will treasure. I have also managed to spend some time in the high desert, in particular Joshua Tree, which was another memorable experience during my time here. It really amazes me the scale of this place and the drastic changes in the surrounding landscapes, something because of the areas of interest in my work I am hyper observant over.  

L: That all sounds incredible. The variation is landscape must be having an effect on your work, has there been a big change?

J: I wouldn’t say it has dramatically changed visually, but its often hard to tell as I spend every day with it. I definitely feel my work has expanded into new avenues of exploration, which is what I wanted and I feel was necessary. I do have thoughts about how I can push the work further and possibly expand my understanding and projection of what painting can be or include. I’ve been thinking about the history of painting in different cultures expanding my possibilities and ideas moving forward. I also believe I can experiment with ways to expand the possibilities of my paintings as 2 dimensional planes that allude to space or spaces and really consider site specificity and how the interpretation of the work can be pushed by working with the spaces the work situates themselves in.  

L: Ooooft, okay so lots to take in there. I am excited to see what comes next…actually what is coming next for you?

J: Currently my MFA at SFAI is in jeopardy, so I am spending my summer break looking for transfer options incase the school closes and files for bankruptcy, or the school is acquired by USF, which unfortunately holds no promises to reinstate students scholarships, nor staff and faculties positions at the school. I'm working quite tirelessly to find a solution as my visa is now in a particularly fragile position and options are limited given how late it is into the academic year, with most schools being well and truly finished with admissions. I'm hopeful that I will find a solution and I am able to continue my studies, my personal growth and development as an artist and make the most of this special journey I’ve been lucky enough to participate in up until this day.