Completing a major body of work for a solo exhibition would put many artists in mind of a holiday. Not so for young Sydney artist Alan Jones.
Gazing out of his studio window above Windsor’s 'Jolly Frog' hotel, Jones reflects on how the views of Windsor have influenced his work, “I mostly work at night, so I’m usually in my studio looking out over this landscape from the late afternoon onwards; it has a completely different feeling by day, of course.â€
Indeed, this view towards Freeman’s Reach in some of Alan Jones’ paintings reveals a romantic side of Windsor. Richly painted in an age-old way with layers of glaze capturing the light within the dusky tones they provide a haunting, soulful background to self-portraits that seem to float within them.
In a way this seems fitting, as Jones grew up in Pennant Hills and his parents and family still live in the area. Time spent looking at artwork overseas has also influenced his work. Apart from winning the inaugural Pat Corrigan Travelling Art Scholarship in 1997, over the last two years Jones has been awarded the prestigious Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, been given the Cite Internationale des Arts studio in Paris and worked in a studio in Berlin.
These influences of surrounding landscape and culture, however, are always secondary to Jones’ own intuitive painterly investigations.
The irony in calling his exhibition The Human Show is that each figure and face is not unique. Rather than exploring an idea of humanity based on difference, Alan Jones has painted – obsessively, mesmerisingly – a kind of iconic inner self. There is little attempt to depict expression or attitude, and yet each face, thickly built up with layers of quick strokes, is fresh and engaging. Each of his figures gaze out boldly and are boldly painted, but seem incapable of action and are extremely powerful because of it.
Despite having half sold his exhibition before it even opens, Alan Jones does not rest on his laurels. And this hard work ethic, which he believes is an unavoidable part of his nature, is probably why this young artist has achieved so much and why his paintings are so popular.
An interview with Alan Jones can be found online at www.artinterview.com.au see: Alan Jones Interview.
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