Saturday Sun Day 

Jeff Jamison's 'Saturday Sun Day' is a painting made with oils, a traditional material, on what appears to be a stretched canvas. The materiality of the oil paint allows for a rich layering of color, giving the beach scene a hazy, dreamlike quality. Jamison builds up the image through a mosaic-like approach, as he applies small blocks of paint to create figures, umbrellas, and the vast expanse of the beach, and captures the feeling of a crowded beach with a sense of detachment. The thick, visible brushstrokes give a sense of the labor involved in creating the painting. Oil paint is also a commodity, connecting the artist to a market system that values artistic skill and aesthetic appeal. The subject matter - a leisure scene - hints at a world where some have the luxury to spend their time relaxing at the beach, supported by the labor of others who produce the goods and services that make this lifestyle possible. Ultimately, by focusing on the materials, processes, and social context of "Saturday Sun Day," we can move beyond a simple appreciation of its aesthetic qualities and understand the deeper cultural meanings it embodies.