Featured Artist Marian Jones
In my photography, I'm drawn to the abstract qualities found in the movement of sand. I'm always amazed at its beauty. What I've been able to capture on film has inspired me to further express myself with paint on canvas. I am inspired by the movement of my surroundings; the waves, wind and sand of the ocean but also the movement of sound and light. Everything has movement even if it appears stationary.
My artistic obsession is capturing the force and subtlety of this movement in my photographs and my paintings.
Eye of the Storm
After receiving her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Texas State University and her M.A in Human Behavior from National University, Jones worked over 30 years in theatre and film as an actor, director, and award-winning producer. The Ivy Theatre in Los Angeles was founded by Jones, who as the Artistic Director had a vision and a mission to develop, produce and promote projects written by Lesbian playwrights. Her emphasis was to expand visibility and to create a social and political awareness of Lesbian artists. The city of Los Angeles honored Jones and The Ivy Theatre with a “Commendation” for the work produced there.
Language
During the lockdown of 2020 Jones found her new creative focus as an abstract photographer who quickly morphed into an abstract painter. During a year of fear, stress and uncertainty due to COVID, Jones found herself even more grateful for her morning walks on the shores around her Oceanside home. It was during one of these walks that she looked down to discover that the sand that she had been walking on for years suddenly looked different. She was inspired by the abstract movements of the sand. She captured these with her phone before moving on to her camera. From this she created a series called SANDS OF OCEANSIDE.
Jones and dog, working hard.
Based on these photographs Jones wanted to create a group of large paintings. She used her sand photographs as a source of inspiration to painting on 8x10 inch canvas paper. Subsequently she moved on to larger scaled stretched canvas. Her paintings are always inspired by her surroundings, such as beach, rocks, sand, waves and her love of music.
Tiny Dancers
“From the stage to canvas was quite easy given that for her they both require a strength of expression, observation, interpretation, risk, and vulnerability”, states Jones. “In theatre I always worked with the words of someone else bringing life to those words.
In painting it is all about my life, my emotions and my expression of those experiences.
Jones’ photographs have shown at online digital gallery Light, Space & Time as well as the Praxis Gallery & Photographic Art Center. Her paintings have shown at the Jones Gallery in Kansas City and have been purchased in private collections across the country.
Lace