About
Mark Russell Jones is a painter living and working in Los Angeles.
Born in California, he received his BFA in painting with distinction from the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. During his time there, he explored a multi-disciplinary approach to his painting through in-depth studies in art history, photography, drawing, design, and printmaking.
He was awarded the Vivian Isabel Bolton scholar Award and the Peter Chapman scholar award for painting.
Employing his skills in photography and drawing, Jones’ process explores both mediums in his work.
Hovering between abstraction and representation, his approach to painting is informed by his interests in geography, light and environment. To further explore this aspect of his work Jones has lived and worked in Milan, Paris, Madrid, Auckland, Tokyo, and Osaka. In addition, he has made a number of excursions covering other parts of Europe, the middle east, Russia,China and the Caribbean.
Functioning much like a documentary filmmaker, Jones documents the varied terrain by making black and white photographs and drawings that reflect his response to each place.
Upon his return to the studio he examines his findings through an editing of the material which are ultimately realized as paintings.
The work considers spatial perspectives while contemplating its interaction with such elements as air, fire, water and earth. The end results are large scale oil paintings echoing the sensibilities of Turner, Rothko, and Richter.
Jones has exhibited since 1996 with exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Texas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Palm Springs. His work has been reviewed in California Home+Design, the Santa Barbara News-Press and the Chautauquan Daily in New York where he received the VACI partners Award.. His work is in private collections in New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Tokyo, Italy and the United States.
“Mark Russell Jones’ paintings affirm a soul of infinite grasp beyond the body and the mind.
The paintings are a generative gaze that examines you and your progress towards eternity.” - Richard Jarrette
Artist Statement
Without blindly submitting to the illustrative function of painting, I am continually composing and above all editing in an effort to capture a moment. A moment that is intuitive.....that is beautiful.
Subtle markings serve as the bones of the painting. A way of beginning, mapping out the terrain, wiping away, revisiting, establishing the groundwork. Navigation through the space directs the next move. Being present, employing restraint, destroying, discovering.
What remains is familiar. Resonating in memory, the residue from a time and space transcending its origin. A moment frozen in its own episodic reverie. In the end, I make art that moves me emotionally and physically, questions me, and remains open for interpretation.