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Circles
date : 1983size : 21½” x 21½”
medium : oil on canvas.
notes : Painted in early 1983, ‘Circles’ has shown at many exhibitions over the years. An early example of the artist using text as image, which is still a recurring theme throughout his works.
comment : “A time-based piece in its own small way; I put a chrome stud into the canvas when I did this. It’s now rusted nicely”.
Circles
Ubu Roi
date : 1982size : 6” x 8”
medium : mixed.
notes : An early painting of Alfred Jarry’s ‘Pere Ubu’, showing the artist’s interest in the Theatre of the Absurd, and early Dadaists.
comment : “I like this piece; it was stolen from an exhibition – I don’t know where it is now”.
Ubu Roi
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog
date : 1982size : 3 feet x 2 feet
medium : oil.
notes : One of the few surviving early works, this is a self-portrait in the manner of later Jones self-portraits, which take the subject as theme, expressed in oblique form.
comment : “James Joyce, Dylan Thomas, and me. Self-portraits with a twist; I took the book title literally, and was there … a red dog”.
Courtesy of Brown / Sangster collection.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog
Ogham Cycle
date : 1990 - presentsize : 6ft. x 8ft.
medium : oil and mixed media.
notes : One of a series of works in progress which developed from the artist's landscape works of the 1980's.
comment : “As well as my other works, I've always loved trees, and been interested in old alphabets. I started the process of abstracting trees while still doing my degree. The early ones were ‘just paintings’ in that they were pictorial representations of physical objects +/or places. I first looked at Scandinavian runic letters, and incorporated these into some works, though I then came across the Ogham alphabet, which held a far more personal resonance. The Ogham script was used throughout the British Isles (most notably in Ireland) in ‘Celtic times’; consisting of a series of ‘notches’ made across a horizontal (or vertical) line, it was used, by the Druids amongst others, for inscriptions ranging from memorials to spells. It was a tree alphabet, also known as the Beth Luis Nuin (= Birch, Rowan, Ash), after the first three letters / trees of the alphabet. It was also a calendar of 13 lunar months, with each month designated its own tree and letter. It can be seen purely as a practical decorative work, or looked at more closely, a longer term piece. It may take me another 5 years to complete, but there's no rush. For further reading on the Ogham alphabet, ‘The White Goddess’ by Robert Graves is a good starting point”.
Ogham Cycle
Taliesin's kite
date : 1998size : 40” x 27”
medium : oil on canvas.
notes : Hand-made kite featuring Jones' depiction of the Welsh Dragon, produced for his eldest son in the late 90's.
comment : “I think her name is Gwyddelwern. I painted / made this when I lived in Y Foel (Cwm Banwy). She's a Welsh dragon, as her tail is pointing upwards, and a she, as only the females have wings: am fy gyntaf bachgen, Taliesin”.
Taliesin's kite
Not Just A Matter Of Time
date : 1991size : 14¾” x 11¾”
medium : oil pastel.
notes : Not strictly a ‘painting’, this drawing dating from the early 90s is a progression from Jones' earlier (documented) figure paintings.
comment : “I could see a good friend being torn in two, but he couldn't bring himself to speak about it. This piece spoke to him, and he made two roads of it”.
Not Just A Matter Of Time
Ssschlurp
date : 1985size : 46” x 38”
medium : oil.
notes : One of a series of paintings depicting abstracted figures.
comment : “At the time, I remember looking at a lot of Australian aboriginal art (more obvious in ‘Gog And Magog’). This painting was destroyed by the hand that created it in 2001”.
Ssschlurp
Red Moon
date : 1984size : 32” x 24”
medium : oil.
notes : Detail of an abstract landscape, inspired by Max Ernst's ‘Europe After Rain’.
comment : “One of a series of abstract landscapes that I worked on when I lived in the city. I have an idea about who stole some of my lost works, but with this one, I really don't have any clues”.
Red Moon
Gog and Magog
date : 1984size : 42” x 24”
medium : oil.
notes : Throughout the 80s, the artist worked on a series of abstracted themes, including mythical figures, and landscapes.
comment : “Sadly, this incomplete snap from a weird angle is the only record that I have of this painting. Another of my lost works”.
Gog and Magog
Pigs On A Hill At Dawn
date : 1983size : 6” x 6”
medium : oil and mixed media on board.
notes : Early piece, which showed at several exhibitions, before it was stolen.
comment : “It's only been since writing comments on my works, that I've realised how many pieces have been stolen over the years”.
Pigs On A Hill At Dawn
Only A Matter Of Time
date : 1982size : 20” x 20”
medium : oil.
notes : Self-effacing self portrait from the early 80's, complete with set of flying ducks.
comment : “Well, isn't it? This was one of the pieces that I destroyed in 2001; it's only by chance that I found a photo of when it was first painted”.
Only A Matter Of Time
Self Portrait
date : 1984size : 6” x 4”
medium : lino print with oil.
notes : Early semi-abstract example of Jones' disregard for rules; lino print onto postcard using oil paint.
comment : “Over the years, I have done numerous self portraits; many artists (from Rembrandt to Warhol) have used their faces as a starting point - I tend to use the title as the same starting point. At the time that this was created, I was stripping everything back to the bottom line”.
Self Portrait
Kit backdrop
date : 1987size : 10 feet x 10 feet
medium : acrylic on canvas.
notes : Detail of a backdrop painted for Liverpool-based indie popsters, Kit.
comment : “It’s not often that I use acrylics; I can count on one hand the times I’ve used it since”.
Kit backdrop
The Spider and the Fly
date : 1984size : 6¼” x 8¾”
medium : watercolour and ink.
notes : Rare survival from Jones' 2001 destruction of his earlier works.
comment : “This was a study for a small oil painting of the same title. I gave the painting to my mam, so there's a good chance it's still packed away in a box somewhere!”.
The Spider and the Fly
Le Dejeuner avec L’herbe
date : 1983size : 48” x 24”
medium : oil and collage on canvas.
notes : Theme by Manet, treatment by Jones. Throughout his works, Jones will often take a look at works by other artists, and ‘update’ / re-interpret them for contemporary audiences. Taking its cue from Manet’s painting, the “L’herbe” in question is being smoked. Gold foil is collaged onto the surface for the cigarette lighter. A very early example of collage within his paintings.
comment : “The two male figures are good friends of mine – the third figure was painted from a small sculpture I made called ‘The Mystery of Childbirth’ – I think I got that line from Patti Smith”.
Courtesy of Cameron collection
