An interview with artist Jean Jones
By AA Abbott
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| Jean Jones' Poppies (All art pictured here is by Jean Jones) |
Jean Jones paints stunning pictures packed with colour and light. “I can't remember a time when I didn't paint,” she says. “Even at primary school, I went to a Saturday morning art club.”
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| Seascape |
The art club was at the respected
Graves Art Gallery in central Sheffield. Jean later moved to London, Scotland and Bristol, working as a teacher for many years while continuing to paint. “I’m an intuitive painter, inspired by the world around me,” she says. “The lush plants of
Kew Gardens provoked me to paint fruit and flowers, while urban landscapes appeal as well. Recently, in Bristol, I’ve focused on Brunel’s iconic
Clifton Suspension Bridge – it’s a landmark – but I was also drawn to dereliction and crumbling buildings overgrown by ivy when I lived in east London.”
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| Cala Lillies |
Jean’s pictures of flowers are sensuous and intensely colourful. “I hope to move the onlooker towards an emotional response,” she says. “I don't expect nor want my paintings to be loved by everyone, as that would suggest blandness.”
Bland they are not, bursting with bright hues and often highlighted with gold leaf as well. Jean cites an eclectic list of influences, including Matisse, Klimt and Hockney - and the craftsmen who produced mediaeval renaissance altar pieces, such as the Wilton triptych. Having started with oils, she found the long drying-out times between glazes were impractical once her children came along. “I reluctantly switched to acrylics, which I now love because of their versatility,” she says. “I now work mostly in acrylic on gesso and acrylic with gold leaf.”
Following her passion means that Jean is incredibly productive, and her website contains a huge gallery of vibrant and uplifting images.
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| Cherries |
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| Venice |
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| Scottish Beach |
Thriller writer AA Abbott loves the exuberance of Jean’s art, and is lucky enough to own one of Jean’s pictures of the Suspension Bridge - received as a leaving present from work.
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| Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol |
Jean Jones website is at:
jeanjonesgallery.co.uk
You can follow author AA Abbott on twitter at
@AAAbbottStories
AA Abbott's website is at:
aaabbott.co.uk
