Jake Millett is a master of the line. His paintings comprise striations that harken to geologic pattern; much of his work documents abstracted landscapes reminiscent of the mountainous Pacific Northwest. In these, cerulean undulating sediment is rendered in mesmerizing ribbons, stacked or cracked open like a slice of luscious layer cake. His sketches are less abstract, capturing everyday urban scenes and morsels of visual information.
“I primarily use my book to just slam down ideas as quickly as possible,” says Millett. “It’s a place where I visualize developing images. I rarely use color in my book. Color enters my work on the canvas, where I improvise and build the painting layer by layer, upon the skeleton of my sketch. My sketches are small and loose; the main goal is to find the essence and gesture of the painting to come. You will notice many little weird faces all over the place—cathartic little caricatures.”
