Artist statement

Artist Statement
Russell Jones
2021

When I was young my teachers noticed I was good at drawing despite having learning difficulties and speech problems which I overcame in later life.
I left school achieving a low grade in art and pursued sign work for two years which didn’t please me at all following the advice of my guidance counsellor.
Disillusioned and feeling inadequate I put my pencils away.

In 2010 I enrolled on an art course to reinvigorate my lost passion I was driven towards this course of action as I was going through a depression when a long term relationship unfortunately broke down.

It wasn’t until I discovered a private tutor in a private ad in a café who taught me pastel pencils in her back yard.
Her pictures are almost photorealistic and she taught me patience, layering, shade, tone and looking at a object and see the colours that aren’t always obvious.

My pastel pictures tend to be meticulous, lifelike, detailed and formalistic.
I built up my confidence quickly even selling my work which is something I never envisaged in my youth.

I enrolled at college in 2018 on an Access course for Art and Design trying new mediums which include watercolours, screen printing, fabrics and different styles like abstract etc to varying degrees of success.

I was proud to say I got distinctions which then propelled me onto University to study Fine Art which with the pandemic has been a challenge to say the least.

I have encompassed more concept behind my art and embrace abstract and be more expressionistic in my approach.
I want my art to tackle subjects close to my art like the duality of mankind, existentialism and to face truths we would rather bury; to quote William Burroughs “ naked lunch, a frozen moment when everyone sees what is on the end of every fork.”

I find J G Ballard’s quote “I wanted to rub the human face in its own vomit, and force it to look in the mirror” inspiring and I try to incorporate that approach.
I am interested in all forms of art whether it’s the romantic lyrics of Morrissey, the mundane made poetry of Bukowski or the kitchen sink realism of Ken Loach.
I love honesty in art and how life experience can shape your vision.

My personal favourite artist is Jenny Savile with her fluid, visceral and often violent images of womanhood.
She came to my attention when her artwork appeared on the sleeve of one of my favourite albums the bleak, nihilistic The Holy Bible by the Manic Street Preachers.

I don’t like to take everything at face value, I like to question and re-evaluate my opinions as John Lydon wrote in the song Rise-
“I could be wrong, I could be right” – a mantra to live by.

My audience is always myself first and foremost if I can draw something that moves me or I am proud of then I hope that translates to the audience.
Art is life.