Unpretentious Culture in Toronto

Underwater Castle
2012 Acrylic on Canvas 2012
36 x 30"

Art and music fans are invited out for a night of modern art and groovy jazz for a good cause in an unpretentious, comfortable party atmosphere on November 16th 2012 from 7-10 pm.

This show is a collection of my Ambient paintings: Background becoming a focal point. For those not familiar with my work or the story behind it, my Ambient paintings are about familiar weatherworn surfaces elevated by design. Texture, worn and distressed surfaces and the accidental are framed, celebrated and transformed. These paintings are not so heavy and meaningful as they are my type of eye-candy. They are what I love about abstract painting.

This show is more of a party than an art reception. I hired a jazz band. This is acclaimed jazz guitarist Jacek Karlowski leading his contemporary jazz trio through his spacy and groovy originals as well as putting his own stamp on some Wayne Shorter tunes. I heard some of the ideas he has for the show, and it’s going to be awesome! Music lovers, you’re in for a treat! Jacek has played in many bands around the Toronto area, thrilling listeners with his outside playing and hard grooves. Listening to him solo, you can’t help but notice this guy is a never ending flood of ideas. The week after this show, he’s playing at the Sony Center. He’s also a good personal friend.

Paintings on sale range in size and price, and are sold directly from me to you. There will also be prints for those who like art, but not the price of an original.
 And it’s all for a good cause! A portion of the proceeds goes to the Ride To Conquer Cancer. My friends Lorraine and Richard Holt are doing the ride for the second time this year, and I’m very proud to be supporting them. You can donate directly at this link:

http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/lorraineholt 

Here’s the details for the show:

Mountain View Estates Coffee 24 Logan Ave, Toronto
Friday November 16th
Time: 7 to 10 pm
Here it is on google maps

Show runs from Oct 16-Nov 23, so you can stop in and check out the art any time.

For more information, visit the event page:

http://liamjonesfineart.com/show2012/november-16-show.html.

We hope to see you there!

Twitter: www.twitter.com/liamjonesart.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/liamj333

Pantone Color Trends 2012 Paintings

I love colour. Yes, I spelled color "colour" because I'm Canadian. It's what they taught me in school right along with "pay your crazy taxes, tell on bullies, and drink light beer". It's not my fault.
So back to what I was saying.
What the entire design world uses for colour is a system of colour predictions that are worked out many years ahead of time, so that every industry can safely develop products that will go together with what everyone else is doing. The housepaint companies will match what the couch cushion makers do, and so on. Pantone is at the forefront of the colour industry, tying all of the industrial world together in colour. This is fascinating to me.

The colours for 2012 are beautiful. Some brilliant and talented people have spent untold hours developing these colours, their relationships and how they'll work and shift over time, so they're not like a Ke$ha song. Please, someone make her go away. I've decided to not only embrace these colours, but make an example of them.
The idea is simple bold designs using the defining colours of 2012. Colours like Tangerine Tango, Stardust, Driftwood, French Roast, and Olympian Blue. These are quick paintings I've designed using the quaint Windows painting app. Like this:



And then gone and painted it for real, like this:




They're a hoot. And there's a bunch of them on. This is the first, now available in my eBay store.

Here are my latest paintings, on sale on eBay

I found an artist I really like the other day: Jean-Francois Provost. It's so great to live in the age of the internet and Google. Exposure to artists like this is just a click away.

First thing that catches me about this guy's work is his strong design. This particular painting is an early favourite, because of the strong contrast and earth tones, and the very painterly approach. He's got that wonderful organic and mysterious effect that I look for in abstract painting. Provost uses collé frequently, and that wonderful knack for composition is seen throughout. Here's some more that I think are just wonderful:

Here's Provost's website.

Equine Art

Here's my latest equine painting. It's 36x48", acrylic on canvas, available in my eBay store. The rustic feel is matched with a modern and light handling, bridging the gap between contemporary and traditional. I'm interested in the message of fraternity and healthy relationships.

Jesus Carrying The Cross

Here is my latest painting titled "Jesus Carrying The Cross". Acrylic on Canvas, 36x48", available at my eBay store or direct, from my website

Painting for me is a lot like a messy and bold jazz solo: the energy is directed at being a strong voice, playing on the fly, just laying it down. It's imperfect and fun as hell!

Here's my latest painting, available on eBay

Painting just kicks butt

Sometimes when I'm working through a painting, I get this feeling of excitement. Today, working on this painting here, I got that rush. A big smile broke out on my face as the design started to take shape at this moment:

I'm showing this photo as a snapshot of my process. I have no idea at this point, how this painting is going to turn out. What I think is that I'm going to keep the abundance of white negative space, keep it minimal and raw, playing off the rule of thirds in the design. I like the wash effects, but won't get too carried away in that direction. I may choose to move towards transparencies. Who knows.

Check out my work on eBay. If you see this blog after February 6th 2012, check out my website, eBay or my Etsy store to see the finished product.

Today I'm finishing a painting of Jesus carrying the cross, and a number of abstracts are in progress. I wonder what the working people are doing?

See what's new at my eBay store

Here's some new abstract paintings available on eBay or from my website, Liam Jones Fine Art:

I am doing everything I can to paint full time. I'm a one-man show, so there's a lot to do. I'm so passionate about my work, and I think that comes through.

Liam