Leo Jacobs has been active as an artist since the late 1970s. His paintings were initially labeled as “Action Painting” or “Abstract Expressionism.” In recent years, however, his artistic approach has taken a new direction.

Jacobs’ paintings are now composed of multiple layers that form abstract fields of color, at times reminiscent of landscapes. His work is a blend of deliberate choices and unforeseen effects. It is up to Jacobs whether he builds upon these effects or takes a completely different path.

Only when the viewer takes time to observe the paintings closely do the traces of the tools used to apply the paint—along with marks from sanding and wiping—become visible. One can also see how the colors blend together or, conversely, maintain their distinct identities. What always remains is the layering, where the colors, applied one over the other, reinforce each other and come together into an underlying structure that ultimately becomes the “painting.”