Matthew Jones' work as an artist intersects a point between celebrating the landscape and lamenting its polluted condition. The compositions he creates are littered with plastic bottles, broken glass, and other bits of detritus. There is a tension, a pull towards the immersive beauty of the land tempered by the refuse left by the previous visitors. Jones has often said that he endeavors to recreate how spaces feel. These contrasting sensations epitomize that. His mediums of choice are watercolor and encaustic, but he uses casein and oil frequently as well.
Matthew Jones received his MA in 2016 and his MFA from the University of Dallas in 2018. His paintings have been exhibited nationally but notable local institutions include: Beaudry Gallery and Framing, The Irving Arts Center, The Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Umbrella Gallery, McKinney Performing Arts Center, Art 7 Gallery, and Beatrice M Haggerty Gallery.
Jones stated that for the August 15 talk "I will be sharing the processes and materials involved in the creation of my recycled watercolor paintings. I will include samples of my wax blanks, my tools, finished examples, and my personally designed and built pochade box."
"I believe it may be beneficial to start a painting to show how the recycled paper handles watercolor, but once I have the point across I would most likely switch to a painting that has already been started and work on advancing it."
His work can be seen at: Matthewjonesart.com, Instagram.com/Matthewjones.art, Matthewjonesart@gmail.com
