Jane Jones Bio

Jane Jones Bio

Jane Jones is a Denver native who discovered very early in life, through crayons, that she loved color.  Rarely seen without her crayons or watercolors, by the time she was seven, she had already begun to separate her crayons into cool colors and what she called "citrus", or warm colors.  She wrote stories and illustrated them and created "film strips" on paper using her 72 Crayola colors.  Now, she says that she lives for color and light.  "That's the reason that I get out of bed in the morning."


A detour through biology and chemistry earned her a Bachelor of Science in 1976.  "Looking into the lives of cells, plants, and animals gave me a glimpse into the awesome power of living things and an incredible respect for them."   


 After graduating from art school in 1989, she went on to earn a M.F.A. in Art History.   After art school, she spent several years honing her techniques and searching for her artistic vision and voice.  Jones knew that she loved color, that she was drawn to the personal intimacy of still life, and that she loved the beauty of nature.  Her art reflects her academic studies as well as her passion for the power and fragility of life.


One day while exploring with a new close-up lens on her camera, she decided to investigate some flowers.  "I saw a whole new and incredible world of shape and movement; much like looking into a microscope."  That began a whole new artistic journey into painting the amazing world of flowers.  For several years she filled large canvasses with magnified close-up images of flowers.  But the time came to "put the flowers in vases and begin using symbolism to create more meaningful images" that would satisfy her spiritual exploration.


Gardening is the genesis for many of her paintings.  She has found a profound satisfaction in finding bulbs, seeds, and plants in catalogues and greenhouses, and then nurturing them to full flower.  "One of the toughest things that I have to do is cutting the flowers from the plant.  But once I get just the right light on them and the glass vase - well, I'm beside myself with excitement at the possibility of translating it into paint."  Outside of the windows of her Colorado studio is her garden which produces many of the roses, lilies, irises, and tulips that she paints.

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