The
richly hued flowers in the paintings of Jane Jones may appear fragile
and delicate, but they possess within them the power to command the eye
and captivate the viewer.
Jones isolates one or
two flowers, highlighting their color and unique attributes. A simple
vase, made timeless by its classic shape, or a sparkling crystal bowl
add to the contrasting play of light and shadow in her contemporary
works that transcend time. Luminous and graceful, poised in spacious
settings, her flowers radiate an inner light. Jones accomplishes this
effect with an Old Masters’ technique, layering oil glazes over her
opaque underpainting to achieve a depth of light and luminosity.
A Denver
native, Jones was a creative child who loved coloring books and was fascinated
by how living things worked. She earned her Bachelors Degree in biology.
Invariably, her lab drawings were considered the best in her class. In 1986, her
life reached a turning point when she happened to overhear two women in a
bookstore. After they left, Jones picked up the book that one of them had so
highly recommended to her companion. It was Portrait of an Artist — A Biography
of Georgia O’Keeffe (Simon & Schuster, 1980). Until she read this book she had
not acknowledged having similar artistic feelings. Jones began to search for art
schools, believing that “Life will lead you where you’re meant to go.” Having
had no previous formal art training, her studies afforded her the time and space
to learn and develop her artistic technique.
Jones sees
power in nature’s fragile beauty, and her paintings combine her scientific
knowledge with her deep reverence for the life force common to all living things
in the natural world. For her, the sunlight shining through a leaf in her garden
has the same mystical qualities as light streaming through the stained glass
windows of a cathedral. She believes that there is nothing more beautiful than
flowers, fruits and vegetables illuminated by the sun, referring to them as
“nature’s jewels,” and to the outdoors as “the great cathedral.” Working from
the reference photos she takes in her garden, Jones will often add symbolic
touches to her paintings, such as flat river stones. Aside from creating a good
compositional counterpoint to balance the flowers, the stones are a reminder
that water is necessary for life and that all life grows from the earth.
Jones has
been painting for 20 years, ten professionally. Her paintings have been
presented nationally in juried shows, as well as in one-person and group shows.
She has won numerous commissions and awards, most notably the Floral Award
presented by the American Artists Professional League at their annual Salmagundi
Club show in NYC. She is also a member of Oil Painters of America, American
Academy of Women Artists and Women Artists of the West. Her work can be seen in
The Best of Flower Painting, Volumes I and II, published by North Light Books.
Observing
that there are far too many things that pressure us in the modern world, Jones’
paintings appeal to us to consider the wonder of one living flower at our
leisure, with ample space and without distraction. She says, “My paintings are
usually simple and uncluttered to show off the beauty of each individual flower.
In our busy and overwhelming world, I want my paintings to be a sort of visual
sanctuary — a moment of serenity and peace, focused on the beauty of nature.”
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