Jacob Dockery is a biochemistry student at Eastern University who will be graduating this upcoming May. If you don’t know Dockery in person, perhaps you’ve seen some of his captivating artwork on social media. Dockery’s most recent painting, which he dedicated to the singer AURORA, has received much attention over the past few weeks after its anticipated reveal on Dockery’s Instagram and Facebook accounts on Oct. 23. Dockery began working on the portrait in July of this year. He was able to finish the painting in time to give AURORA a copy of the painting at her concert in Philadelphia on Nov. 1.

     After having the opportunity to sit down and talk to Dockery about his passion for art, I learn that it was Dockery’s mommom who introduced him to art at a young age.

     “My mommom is an artist who made murals in people’s homes. I remember being really little, and she would sit me down in front of a canvas and just have me paint,” he says. It was during this time that Dockery realized he loved to create with his hands. Dockery continued making art throughout middle and high school and excelled in every one of his art classes.

     In regards to Dockery’s painting style, the artist shares that up until recently, layering acrylic paint had been his most-used medium. However, he says that now he’ll only paint with oil. Dockery expresses that it is the fluidity and rich coloration of oil paints that draws him to this medium. Oil paints take longer to dry and are more pliable when mixing. They offer more artistic freedom to make changes. In the future, Dockery would like to begin working more with oil pastels.

     Dockery describes his style of art as “photorealistic, but not the type that uses bright colors.” Dockery says he will not work with bright colors but instead prefers dark, gloomier tones that reflect overcasts. It is the nighttime, cloudy days and nature that give Dockery inspiration, and it is sadness that fuels his creativity. Dockery was directly inspired by AURORA’s video for “Into the Light” for his most recent painting, in which the 20-year-old singer explains how nature inspires her to write songs. In the video, she says, “Music for me is the best way to feel anything. I think we’re very afraid to feel, especially if it’s a sad feeling. We don’t want to think about anything that makes us sad.” Dockery felt a deep connection to this quote, because it is the same approach he takes when creating art.

     “I don’t want to say my painting style is depressing or dreary…[but I want people to know that] it’s okay to feel sad, and it’s okay to think about your sad thoughts because sometimes your sad thoughts can become your best memories.” Dockery believes this is why his art is so heavy and thought-provoking. He shares, “My art doesn’t mean I’m not happy because I’m so happy.”

     Dockery explains that he is drawn to AURORA’s music because “she’s such a deep thinker; she really thinks the thoughts that I thought my whole life. She is the same kind of artist as me–same tone, same wavelength, same heavy emotions and feelings as me.” AURORA started writing at age nine, and this “taught me that it doesn’t matter how old you are. If the talent, hard work and passion are there, it’s going to be great.”

     A strong appreciation of nature is another thing Dockery and AURORA both share. In Dockery’s art classes, many of his fellow students chose to draw simple objects or abstract pieces, but Dockery focused his talents on creating magnificent landscapes inspired by woods surrounding his home. The aesthetics in “Into the Light,” the bubble scene in particular, were perfect to Dockery. It is the reason Dockery chose to recreate it. While Dockery is no stranger to painting landscapes, this painting was his first portrait. Dockery says, “This is the first piece I actually fell in love with. It is the painting I’ll never give away.”

     To conclude the interview, I ask Dockery if he could sit down and have a meaningful conversation with anybody, who would it be? His response is surprising at first but makes perfect sense in the end. Dockery says he would choose Benjamin Franklin for many reasons.

     “Firstly, he is my ninth great-grandfather, which is probably the origin of why I am the way I am. He was so scientific but was also a writer. Scientific and artistic–that’s what I am. I would love the opportunity to talk to someone who had their hand in so many different things. That’s how I see myself. I want to talk to somebody [who] gets that,” Dockery says.

     Through Dockery’s passions and many talents, he conveys the powerful message that science can inspire art, and art can inspire science. The beautiful cyclic bond between everything God has given us and the importance of acknowledging the passion therein is a lesson Dockery learned very early on in life and continues to practice today. It is by creating with his hands that Dockery is able to balance each passion in his life with an aesthetic and artistic touch.

     Source: Jacob Dockery

     Ever since I can remember, I have had a deep appreciation for aesthetically pleasing conglomerates. However, I did not learn until recently that many of the things I find visually appealing greatly differ from what others find beautiful. Over the past few years, I have realized that not everyone holds the same appreciation for color-coded calendars, a pristinely-made bed or neatly-folded laundry placed delicately into drawers; I did not understand how people could go about their day knowing that their beds were left with ruffled sheets and displaced pillows, or that their clothes lay unfolded around their rooms in no particular order. I did not understand how one could remember everything they had to do in a day if they had not previously mapped it out for themselves a week in advance with the assistance of a large calendar consisting of lined days and colored ink that deciphered different responsibilities. It amazed me that not everyone relied on organization as their key to life like I did.

     From a very early age, organization has been my constant, my contentment and my peace. To this day, I know I can rely on organization for nearly anything when life gets too chaotic for me to handle on my own. Being able to recall at any given moment where I have left something brings me comfort. Knowing I have an unscathed room to return to at the end of each day solaces me, regardless of how messy life may feel at the time. Having the ability to consult my ever-expanding calendar when I feel disoriented helps me to regain a sense of authority over my responsibilities.

     It is the power to control my physical environment that makes organization such a vital piece of my life. I can recall countless times feeling helpless and powerless over my surroundings. It is a sinking feeling that is experienced by many all too often. The feeling that robs one of control may be deeply rooted in issues found in our families or in our relationships with others. Maybe the overwhelming demands of life as a student make us feel as though we simply cannot keep up with our obligations. Or perhaps it is fueled by sheer anxiety about our current state or our concealed futures to come. Whatever the origin, feeling a lack of control can be detrimental to our lives and to our levels of productivity.

     This is why I utilize organization so passionately. It is the fervent need to take back what is mine and to feel in control of myself that causes me to bring such meticulous framework to the tangible objects in my life. I would be at an absolute loss if I did not provide myself with the consistency and reliability that organization possesses. While some say it is obsessive, I say it is freedom. It is the freedom to bring clarity and structure into a mind that is muddled with confusion and calamity; it is the freedom to self-soothe when expectations are set too high and daily responsibilities become oppressive. To me, relying on organization is equivalent to relying on a dependable friend who you know will always catch your fall with his or her unchanging, graceful and reassuring presence.