Artwork for Ivan Maxwell Jones
Park Wood Bluebells, Acrylic on Canvas
Ascending path, Malvern Hills, Acrylic on Canvas
After the Rain, Malvern Hills, Acrylic on Canvas
The High Ground or the Well Worn Path, Acrylic on Canvas
Dawn light, Snow on the Malverns, Giclee print of original painting
Ealy Spring, Malvern Hills, Giclee print of original painting
Walking the Malverns, Giclee print of original painting
Details
Sometimes my work has a heightened realism, other times my landscapes are abstracted through colour, form and texture. I try to bring energy, movement and drama into my work through a vigorous painting process: by building up layers of paint using brushes, palette knifes, spattering, rubbing back, scratching and scraping away to create a textural surface with depth and history.
When painting abstracts I often work in an intuitive and gestural way, starting from improvised mark-making and burying and unearthing marks, colours and textures, revealing glimpses of hidden colours in a highly layered surface. Sometimes these incorporate elements of collage and printing within the textured surface; I like to see where the mood takes me rather than developing a ‘house style’ and sticking to it.
My passion for painting and my love of nature are intimately connected. I love to get out into the landscape in all weathers and soak up the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the natural world. I am particularly inspired by the light, colours and textures of the Malvern Hills, which are close to my home and my heart.
For me being an artist is about seeking a connection to the divine, the eternal the beautiful, but this could be through observing the prosaic and the everyday, it could be through creative play. Ultimately it is about connecting to other people through my art, about sharing my vision and sense of wonder. I paint mainly from my home studio using the sketches and photographs that I gather in my frequent hills walks. Each painting is an individual voyage of discovery for me and I try to see my surroundings in fresh way, to evoke a sense of character in the landscape and express the wonder I experience in the everyday.
Ivan Maxwell Jones, painter of landscapes and contemporary abstracts
I paint mainly from my home studio using the sketches and photographs that I gather in my frequent hills walks. Each painting is an individual voyage of discovery for me and I try to see my surroundings in fresh way, to evoke a sense of character in the landscape and express the wonder I experience in the everyday. As well as being a painter I also teach painting classes in Malvern, mainly to adults these days, but the classes are open to all ages and abilities.
With a Drama degree from Bristol Uni, and a previous career as a television editor making natural history programmes for BBC Bristol, my route to becoming a fine artist has been an unconventional one. Re-discovering my love of fine art about 18 years ago (via stained-glass making), I trained at the Bristol School of Art and then spent 10 years as an Art Teacher, after moving to Malvern in 2008. These days I share my time between painting and art tuition.
Exhibitions include Elmslie House in Malvern, Take 4 Gallery, Ledbury, No 8 Gallery Pershore, Worcestershire Open Studios (@ Malvern Cube Arts and Community Centre), Mi Frame Gallery , Bishops Frome.
Take 4 Gallery, Ledbury, Etsy online store
