ARTIST STATEMENT

Music has always been a part of my life. The language of music fascinates me and I
Want people to see the music behind the instruments. My passions for music and for flowers are portrayed throughout my paintings.
Flowers have movement which I believe stems from the subliminal musical rhythm of life itself.

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ARTIST BIO

Jason Jones was born on January 24th, 1965 in the south side of Chicago, Illinois. A self-taught artist, he has been painting abstract works for the past nine years. Jones’ work has been selected for group exhibitions throughout the Chicago land area, including the south shore cultural center, the Beverly art center, and the museum of science and industry, and has been featured in various galleries throughout the country including Dejoie Art Gallery in Chicago, period gallery in Omaha, and October gallery in Philadelphia.

Jones has received multiple awards for his work including best in show at the celebrate the spirit of south shore juried art exhibition in Chicago in 2000, and the award of excellence from the prestigious period gallery in Omaha, NE in 1999.

Jones also participates in fundraisers including the united way's sixth annual Ujima Benefit Auction, the Chicago symphony orchestra's blue note silent auction, the100 black men charity fundraiser, and the Congo Square Theatre Company's Annual Juneteenth Fundraiser.

Jones has also been chosen as the featured artist in both the Chicago defender and underground Chicago magazine in 2001 and 2000 respectively. He received his bachelor of fine art degree in interior design from the international academy of merchandising and design, Chicago, IL.

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PRESS RELEASE

Philadelphia, PA - February 7, 2002 - ArtJaz Gallery is pleased to welcome back to Philadelphia Chicago Artist, André Guichard and welcomes Jason E. Jones for his first exhibit in the city. The show is entitled New Works. The artist reception will be held 5-8pm, Friday, March 1. This show will run Friday, March 1 through April 13, 2002.

"Where do you come from? And whom do you call family?" we ask André Guichard, painter and storyteller. His composition, rendered from memory, weaves faces, places, his home and his family; It is heart and soul as an historical record. His simply stated narrative is brought to life with all of the vivid, brilliant color present in our waking memory of last night’s dream. In the tradition of illuminated manuscripts (which are hailed for their modest and reserved account of the most powerful and complex parables), phosphoric color and radiant light transform banal into event.

Guichard composes abstract collage from the various elements of his narrative. The diptych, Sunrise Over St. Lucia I & II, are muted oil washes on canvas. The paint is applied in such a way that lines merge and all but disappear into the suggested space within the canvases, abstracting the forms of the two landscapes. Their impressionistic quality suggests a romantic memory and an idealization of the artist’s visit to some distant and utopian retreat.

Jason E. Jones recounts history in abstract terms. Rather than simply state what happened, what it was, where he’s from, Jones tells us what its like. Like a snap shot or first impressions, his paintings capture the ephemeral. In "Sunset in Fiji," we share a beautifully fragmented sunset with an anonymous woman in a bright red sundress. So captivated by her escape from the world and by her desire to enjoy this fleeting moment, she never turns to acknowledge our gaze. Enveloped by the sunset’s fragmented rays of red, orange, and yellow, these colors are mirrored in her dress.

Jones’ portfolio transcends any specific style. Like the light through a prism, Jones recreates photos of his family, his music, and his home in a refracted, distorted and projected state. Images transfigure into abstract texture that mirrors reality’s complexities.

"NEW WORKS : André Guichard and Jason E. Jones" will be on exhibit March 1 — April 13, 2002. Opening Artist reception, Friday, March 1, 2002 5pm-8pm. For more information, call 215-922-4800. ArtJaz Gallery is located at 51 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

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