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Humpty Trumpty
date : 2017size : 11¾” x 8½”
medium : collage, pen and ink
notes : Jones' take on the bad hombre of the United States, which uses his ‘Walk Quietly Through Life But Always Carry A Big Stick’ in the hand of Mr.Trumpty, sat atop a wall made of dollar bills.
comment : “The first Reality TV president leads the Mad Hatter's tea party.”
Humpty Trumpty
Mr Benn
date : 2013
size : 11¾” x 8¼”
medium : watercolour, pen, and collage
notes : Using the style of McKee and Lawless, Jones has produced a witty portrait of Tony Benn depicted outside the Houses of Parliament as the ‘other’ Mr. Benn.
comment : “Mr. Benn? It was obvious really…! Drawn in ink, painted in watercolour and completed with collage.”Mr Benn
Burn Baby, Burn
date : 2011
size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage
notes : Echoing the line from Vietnam in its title, juxtaposed with an apeing of 1970s petrol station ‘special offers’ in the text, this powerful image may initially appear as humourous, or even too cutting, yet has serious intent behind its creation. The artist felt the need to express his shock and sadness at the extreme measures being taken by Buddhist holy people.
comment : “Hopefully the title will help to put this piece into its intended context. There is something seriously wrong when monks and nuns feel that the only choice that they have is to make the ultimate sacrifice, and self-immolate. A shocking image? It needs to be. I find the reality far more shocking. Perhaps the story would gain more coverage were it to be ‘marketed’ like a special offer at a garage. There is nothing frivolous or disrespectful about this piece.”
Burn Baby, Burn
Norma Queen X
date : 2012medium : digital collage
notes : A collaborative piece produced by Brian and Shaun Featherstone for the front cover of ‘The Great Frock 'n' Robe Swindle’ anti-jubilee newspaper art project.
comment : “I was asked could the Xs be added and said “yes”, so it's a collaboration with someone that I've never met!”
Norma Queen X
God Bless the Squatters
date : 2011size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage
notes : With the proposed criminalisation of squatting on the agenda, the artist, who previously spent ten years squatting, addresses this erosion of the rights of the citizen in this collage, which depicts a family's ‘1st. night in a squat’.
comment : “Cottars and Borderers are the old British names for squatters. With so many empty buildings and a shortage of housing, this ancient right will become a criminal offence. What is the alternative? The re-introduction of Workhouses? Homes for all.”
God Bless the Squatters
God Bless the Travellers
date : 2011
size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage
notes : A piece expressing support for the residents of Dale Farm, near Basildon, Essex, and others facing similar difficulties.
comment : “Spending £18 million to evict 86 traveller families is not only immoral, it's also a form of ‘ethnic cleansing’ [horrible newspeak phrase].”
God Bless the Travellers
I Don't Have a Mobile
date : 2010medium : assemblage.
size : 6” wide, 3½” deep, 7¼ high
notes : A small sculptural piece, which playfully combines an aged piece of oak, a mobile telephone and a nail.
comment : “I really don't have a mobile!”
I Don't Have a Mobile
Nelson Mandala
date : 2010
size : 24” x 24”
medium : collage, guache and acrylic
notes : Based on the Buddhist ‘mahakala’ form of a mandala, this work features international icon Nelson Mandela in the title role.
comment : “I've been meaning to do this piece for ages. There's only a one letter difference between the two words. Done in honour of the man who made the transition from revolutionary to statesman look easy.”
Nelson Mandala
KPD-0
date : 2006size : 11½” x 8½”
medium : collage
notes : Original collage design produced for Sofia-based punksters KPD-0.
comment : “They wanted something that could be used as the front cover for their next CD and which could also double-up as a generic gig poster. I think there's a copy of the poster in the clients section of this site.”
KPD-0
Cultural Blackspot
date : 2006size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage
notes : Designed by Brian in 2006, this image was stolen from this site and has subsequently appeared on various websites in photographic form, and it appears to have been printed as posters which have been fly-posted in various cities. The artist has never made any money from this design, which was done as an homage to the old 'Accident Blackspot' road signs, and resents the fact that his imagery has been taken without permission.
Cultural Blackspot
Oil Addict
date : 2006size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage.
notes : Produced in response to the “addicted to oil” comment, Jones subverts the 80's anti-heroin ads; the text reads as follows:
When life doesn't seem that great, oil might seem a great way to have a few laughs.
But it won't be long before the fun turns into a bad joke. You'll start looking ill, losing weight and feeling like death.
You'll lose control of your mind as well as your health. And eventually you might even risk death.
So if a friend offers you oil, don't treat it as a joke.
Otherwise oil might have the last laugh.
comment : “Being an artist is better than being a mass-murderer, or a bollitician”.
Oil Addict
Suffragette City
date : 2006size : 11½” x 8½”
medium : collage.
notes : Another concern of the artist is the whole question of individual freedom. One of a series of anti-iD card pieces, this work, taking its cue from the David Bowie track, shows both his senses of history and humour.
comment : “iD cards will literally be ‘taking liberties’…”.
Suffragette City
Wastercard
date : 2006size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage.
notes : A recurring motif over the years, are his series of ‘subverts’; this one deals with the evils of credit cards.
comment : “You buy the best that you can afford… if you can't afford it, save up for it. Cash is King!”.
Wastercard
Satori of Sofia
date : 2006size : 24” x 17½”
medium : collage.
notes : Second in Jones' series of cities, ‘Satori Of Sofia’ (S.O.S.) voices the artist's concerns and observations of the Bulgarian capital.
comment : “It's like the worst of Fagin and his gang meets East European mafia. Corrupt from the top down. Check my ‘Bulgarian Misadventures’ which will be appearing in the ‘Words: Wordsmith’ section of this site in the near future”.
Prints available.
Satori of Sofia
3 x Truth
date : 2005size : 43½” x 32½”
medium : collage.
notes : Trilingual collage produced during Jones' visit to Bulgaria in Summer '05. Bulgarian and Welsh, with English sandwiched between.
comment : “Very simple, and immediate on first view; I've thought about those words for a long time, so this is one of my more contemplative pieces. The composition was dictated by where I was, and the fact that the Bulgarian and Welsh flags, have exactly the same colours”.
Prints available
3 x Truth
Naked Truth
date : 2005size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage.
notes : Based on a line from Jean Jacques Rousseau, Jones takes cut-and-paste, and gives it a philosophical twist.
comment : “Light relief from an insane world.....started this piece in 2002, but re-constructed it in 2005”.
Naked Truth
No Radiation
date : 2006size : 8½” x 11½”
medium : collage.
notes : Another recurring motif in Jones' works, are his series of ‘subverts’ produced over the years. This piece transforms the classic Rodchenko beer ad, into an anti-mobile phones warning.
comment : “The original is great; coulda cribbed-it very quickly in Photoshop, but preferred to spend the time cutting-out every single piece with a scalpel. This was both to tip-the-hat to Rodchenko, and to end-up with a piece of artwork, instead of just another disc. I'm anti-radiation, and refuse to have a mobile; I know dudes who've had tumours and worse. People already know about the delights and downfalls of beer, but seem delighted with their mobiles. A scandal by any other name”.
No Radiation
Babylondon
date : 2005size : 17½” x 24”
medium : collage.
notes : Collage-based survey of Britain's capital city; this iconoclastic and controversial piece features Jones' acerbic observations. Fully titled ‘Welcome To Babylondon’, the work also features two verses from William Blake's ‘London’ poem comprising the border.
comment : “The last time I got back, I thought ‘…it was like Babylon…’. Blakes’ ‘New Jerusalem’? At times, but more often, I think he must have been having a laugh. I have a love / hate relationship with the place; both a prayer, and a curse, for Caer Llundain”.
Babylondon
The Scream (after Munch) (SOLD OUT)
date : 2005size : 6” x 7”
medium : collage & pastel.
notes : 19th century angst meets 21st century angst in Jones’ playful, yet cutting re-interpretation of Munch’s iconic image. Another classic example of Jones’ witty and irreverent worldview.
comment : “A clash of giants, in terms of the elements used. I’ve often wondered about this picture; what made her ‘Scream/Cry’? These signs make me want to scream. Cultural Colonialism by any other name, and I’m not a xenophobe”.
The Scream (after Munch) (SOLD OUT)
Your Planet...
date : 2005size : 6” x 8”
medium : Collage.
notes : An ecological New Pop message from an ecological New Pop artist.
comment : “I actually started this piece in 2002, but I got distracted, and it morphed into the Skrufff image. Happily, I remembered what I'd been doing…”.
prints available
Your Planet...
Mammon part 1
date : 2003size : 22½” x 15½”
medium : collage and ink.
notes : First in the ‘Mammon’ series, Jones takes currency symbols, and elevates them to become the images themselves. Another example of the artist’s on-going interest in re-presenting well-known cultural symbols as images.
comment : “I did these in a bit of a rage (artrage?), and edged them with a Dillinger lyric. Immediate, but meditative too. I accept pounds…”
Mammon part 1
Mammon part 2
date : 2003size : 22” x 15½”
medium : collage and ink.
notes : Part 2 in the series, the dollar symbol this time takes centre stage. As with the others, a hand-written border completes the piece.
comment : “I also accept dollars…”
Mammon part 2
Mammon Part 3
date : 2003size : 22” x 15½”
medium : collage and ink.
notes : Last in the series, as “it’s the youngest currency”, the Euro is the centre of the composition.
comment : “…and Euros!”
Mammon Part 3
The Boy King
date : 2004size : 12” x 12”
medium : collage.
notes : Graphic featuring footballer, Wayne Rooney, as the original ‘Boy King’, Elvis Presley.
comment : “I think there are parallels to be drawn between Rooney and Presley”.
prints available
The Boy King
Pop Art Politician
date : 2002size : 11¾” x 8¼”
medium : collage.
notes : A pastiche of Warhol’s ‘Two Elvises’, ex-president Reagan is featured in the rockin’ role. This piece has showed at several exhibitions, including the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art.
comment : “A phrase from a song by Love that’s been going around my brain for longer than I care to remember. Gunman as president, president as gunman. I attempted this piece in 1990, but it wasn’t quite right. I did it properly this time.”
prints available
Pop Art Politician
Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?
date : 2003size : 16¾” x 17¼”
medium : collage.
notes : An homage to Richard Hamilton’s seminal Pop Art piece from 1956. This piece keeps the same proportions as the Hamilton work, replacing the ‘muscle man’ (50’s ‘ideal’) carrying the lolliPop, with David Beckham (00’s ‘ideal’) singing karaoke.
comment : “I love the Hamilton original. I wanted to apply my New Pop aesthetic to a re-interpretation of the piece. Quite prophetic having a bird on the sunbed who ain’t Posh. David Beckham singing karaoke in the parlour? If that isn’t ‘Pop’, what is?”
Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?
Airedales
date : 1993/ 2002size : 16” x 10”
medium : collage.
notes : Repeat pattern collage using commercial packaging as source. A prime example of Jones’ ability to re-present the mundane in a different context.
comment : “It took me ages to collect all those dog food labels, and nearly as long to scalpel them all out, one-by-one. Old school collage; these days people would be more likely to scan one into Photoshop, and duplicate like that. There’s a place for Photoshop, but not for generating the idea. This has two dates, as I re-worked / reconstructed the piece in ‘02”.
Airedales
King Billy
date : 2003size : 11¾” x 8¼”
medium : collage and ink.
notes : Billy Fury as the King of British Rock ‘n’ Roll, edged with “It’s good for your body, it’s good for your soul”, hand-written around the border. This piece, quite aptly, showed at Jones’ ‘iCons’ Derry exhibition.
comment : “I had this piece sketched-out for quite a while, and produced it in the lead-up to Derry. Billy Fury in the imperial state crown - fantastic. He charted before the Beatles, and produced some excellent rockabilly tunes, before Decca put an orchestra behind him. A true star. This piece could equally have been called ‘The Golden Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ – that Mott the Hoople track is a killer. Inspired by the song, it conjured-up this image in my mind; the border is tipping the hat to Ian Hunter”.
King Billy
Blairman Mao
date : 2002size : 11¾” x 8¼”
medium : collage.
notes : Original black and white collage of one of Jones’ most striking images to capture the political zeitgeist. This image has appeared in exhibitions in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
comment : “I remember thinking, after some thinking man’s cigarettes “This fella is acting like a president – who does he think he is, Chairman Mao?”, and that’s where it came from; identity cards and wars all round. Republic of Britain – ROB”.
Blairman Mao
Madollar
date : 2001size : 11¼” x 4½”
medium : collage.
notes : Original collage depicting Madonna as the ‘Queen of Pop’ on a dollar bill. A version of this image featured in Esquire magazine’s report on the Euro, alongside works by Paul Smith, Seymour Powell, and other noteables. The image has since been screenprinted, and etched by the artist.
comment : “I’d been working on a separate portrait of Madonna, as the ‘Queen of Pop’. During that, I started to think about how the portrait might be applied. I made a quick sketch, and let it mature for a while. I went back to the sketch, and did it without too many changes”.
Madollar
Beatles Horrorshow
date : 2004size : 6” x 2½”
medium : collage.
notes : A ripped, torn, and reconstructed image of the Fab Four.
comment : “I went to the same school as McCartney and Harrison, the same art school as Lennon and Sutcliffe, and was born in the same district as Gringo…”.
Beatles Horrorshow
Norma Queen
date : 2002size : 35” x 16½”
medium : giclée.
notes : This gicléed multiple, from the original single collage, was produced for the ‘Vive La Republique’ anti-golden jubilee show at the Centre of Attention, London. The image was selected by the London Evening Standard ‘Hot Tickets’ to promote the exhibition.
comment : “I was working with Jamie Reid at this point; I wanted to do a piece for this show, but what could I do to the queen that Jamie hadn’t already done? I steered away totally from his work, planted my tongue firmly in my cheek; I found a picture of QE2 without a crown or headscarf (not as easy as it may sound). She had that kind of 50’s semi-Marilyn suburban housewife hairdo, so I produced ‘Norma Queen’”.
Prints available
Norma Queen
Trains v1
date : 2001size : 23” x 8”
medium : collage.
notes : First version (unused), produced for the Art Tube 01 show.
comment : “Immediately, I could see the piece in my mind’s eye; this version was almost what I wanted, but not quite”.
Trains v1
Pop Queen
date : 2001size : 11¾” x 8¼”
medium : collage.
notes : Another of the ‘iCons’ New Pop images produced since the turning of the Millennium. New Pop for a new century.
comment : “Certain aspects of celebrity intrigue me, though not in a sycophantic way”.
