Artist Statement

A few years back, I was filling out a questionnaire on a website, and one of the questions asked, “Why did you become an artist?”

I spent some time pondering this question, and came upon the realization that I didn’t choose to be an artist, I have always been one. As I mused through this thought, I began to understand that whatever else I do with my life, I shall always be an artist first, and that it will spill over into every aspect of my existence.

My art has evolved slowly over the years, tinted and shaded by the colors of my world and experiences. Being self taught, I’ve grown in fits and spurts throughout my life, and I fully expect that this process will continue on. Early in my development, I thought that the pinnacle of fine art was to be able to produce a painting so detailed that it was indistinguishable from a photograph, and so that was my aim. Then I began to realize that photorealism is a fine aspiration, but the painting should be executed in such a way that it is more than a photograph, otherwise the whole process is futile. Accurate rendering is essential, but it should never overpower the art.

My art is influenced by everywhere I go, and everything I see. I wonder sometimes if the people I talk to everyday realize that I’m studying the colors and shapes of their faces as we converse. I wonder if anybody else, or everybody else, sees the landscape around them in the bold strokes of a brush or pallet knife. I wonder what it’s like to not see the world in paint.

I have come to realize that I must stay true to my paint. It seems that anytime I lose focus on painting from my heart that my work becomes less than what it can be. It becomes stiff, uninspired, and commercial. While my portraits remain detailed and painstakingly executed, I use my landscapes to limber up, to stretch, to fly over fields and squint in the sun…

Art should be fun. Fun to do, fun to see. Colors, lighting, values… everything should draw the artist and the viewer into another place, another time. A memory, a dream, an aspiration…

My name is Mike Jones and I did not choose to become an artist…

I have always been one.