Born London, U.K. 1976

B.A. Brighton University 2000

M.A. Royal College of Art 2002

Jon graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2002 and spent 2003-2005 in Japan, where he worked as a teacher and further developed his art. Since returning to England, Jon has exhibited in a number of London galleries and his first major a solo show was held at The Russell Gallery in Oct 2007.

Jon has recently moved to Exeter in Devon. He is currently preparing for his next show which will be influenced by time spent in Rajasthan and Varanasi.  

The collection of paintings on this website are a response to time spent in five very different countries; India, Tanzania, Nepal, Laos and the USA. The paintings reflect memories, often of an unusual or emotive experience. Travel is an integral source of inspiration for Jon's art, and a rich narrative underpins his work. 

  

Artist's Statement:

Since spending time in Tanzania in 1998, I have been interested in figure and landscape painting. Portraying the scale of the Tanzanian countryside is a challenge which has occupied hundreds of hours of my time. The long periods I spent exploring the surrounding hills, drawing, taking photos and visiting settlements continue to motivate me to paint to this day. My subsequent travels to Africa have allowed my drawings to develop which in turn have underpinned my painting.

Being trained as an illustrator before studying at the RCA may explain the need to communicate through my paintings. Many of my pictures tell the story of a personal experience which I want to share with the viewer. In the last few years there has been a subtle change in my working practice. I work less from memory and consequently my work has lost some of its naivety. Return trips to Nepal, Tanzania and India have greatly improved my drawing skills. No longer satisfied with painting figures from a distance, I want my paintings to engage more closely with their lives and emotions. This invariably means more detail and more compositional/technical complications. The challenge is to overcome these difficulties while maintaining a simplified and playful approach.  

Varanasi, arguably the oldest living city in the world having survived three millennia of continuous habitation will be the subject of my next series of paintings. I hope to convey the spiritual intensity and simplicity of Indian life.      

                 

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