A mixed media portrait by artist Jacob van Loon. Ecotone 2014 Assemblage on panel
Fragmented Identity
Jacob van Loon’s Ecotone is a mixed media portrait that feels raw, deliberate, and quietly confrontational. Created as an assemblage on panel in diptych form, the work explores tension, overlap, and contrast, both visually and emotionally. It sits in that charged space between beauty and disruption, where nothing feels accidental and everything asks you to look twice.
Material as Meaning
The use of assemblage immediately sets the tone. This is not a smooth or polished portrait meant to comfort the viewer. Layers of material build a fractured surface, creating a face that feels assembled rather than drawn or painted in a traditional sense. The diptych format reinforces this fragmentation. Two panels sit side by side, related but not identical, suggesting duality, division, or parallel states of being.
Textures clash and coexist, creating depth and tension. Van Loon allows roughness to remain visible, which gives the piece a physical presence that feels almost sculptural. The portrait does not resolve itself easily, and that is precisely the point.
Visual Impact
What makes Ecotone compelling is its restraint. The palette is controlled, the composition tight, and the focus unwavering. The facial features feel partially obscured, as if identity itself is in flux. This is a portrait that resists clarity, inviting the viewer to sit with ambiguity rather than search for answers.
Why It Resonates
The title Ecotone refers to a transition area between two environments, and that concept is deeply embedded in the work. This piece exists between mediums, between states, and between interpretations. It feels personal without being literal, emotional without being sentimental.
Ecotone is a powerful example of how portraiture can move beyond likeness and become an exploration of presence, tension, and transformation. It lingers long after you step away.
Credits
Artist: Jacob van Loon
Title: Ecotone
Year: 2014
Medium: Mixed media assemblage on panel, diptych
Exhibition: Art Meets Fashion, 5th Annual
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Category: Fine Art / Mixed Media
Assemblage on panel [diptych]
2014
This piece will be on display in November at the 5th annual Art Meets Fashion exhibit in Salt Lake City, Utah.
