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Brian Jones - 1950 - 2008
 It is with
great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of artist Brian
Jones on February 27, 2008. Brian will be sadly missed by all who loved
him and enjoyed his work.
Brian Jones was born in 1950 in Chatham, a small city in south-western
Ontario.
Upon completion of his training at H.B. Beal Technical School in London
and after a brief apprenticeship with Jack Chambers, Brian became
determined to pursue full time painting. From the very beginning, his work
depicted people during moments in their everyday lives – walking the dog,
shoveling snow, picnicking in the park and visiting the grandparents. His
strong narrative quality touched with subtle humour or charged with
suspended energy links the artist and the viewer to common experiences
mirroring life in Canada during the 50's and 60's up to the present time.
Initially, a skillful photorealist, Jones gradually learned that by adding
a curve here, a line and some shading there, he could manipulate his
images to great effect. By streamlining the figure, adding brighter
colours and simplifying his shapes in a more abstract format, Jones
developed what would eventually be called his “Neighbours” style. More
recently, larger scale canvases with fine detailed brushwork and complex
compositions illustrate his newer paintings.
From 1975 to 2006, Brian Jones has produced a solo exhibition every
eighteen months in Toronto. He has won many grants and awards, including
the Queen's Silver Jubilee award in 1977; OSA Best Oil Award, 1985, and
the “Young Achievers” National Award 1982. The artist is represented in
many major public collections: Canada Council Art Bank, Museum London,
McIntosh Gallery University of Western Ontario, Confederation Art Gallery,
Province of Ontario, City of Toronto Archives and in Corporate and Private
Collections throughout Canada, the US and Europe. |
