Born in Sacramento in 1939, Richard Jackson emerged as a significant figure in the Los Angeles art scene during the 1970s. His practice evolved from traditional painting toward an interest in the mechanics of application, often involving complex machines or architectural interventions to distribute pigment across surfaces.

Jackson is recognized for his Painting with Two Balls series and his expansive, site-specific installations that frequently involve the physical destruction or mechanical manipulation of canvases. His work challenges the boundaries between the act of painting and the resulting object, emphasizing the performative nature of artistic production.