David Jones

Born 1950 London, UK

Currently residing in Portage, MI and on a boat based in Brooklin, ME

I emigrated to the USA in 1974 at the age of 24 and became a resident of Portage in 1994.  My full time career was in engineering in several companies with 25 years at Consumers Energy before retiring. I always had a strong interest in photography as a hobby and upon retirement became both a student and instructor at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA). After a number of years, I was looking for a new creative outlet that emphasized more direct contact between the mind and the medium. Although I hadn’t painted since high school, I decided in 2014 to explore the world of watercolors through a class at the KIA; my expectations were not that great but I was pleasantly surprised. With continued classes both at KIA and privately, I have found my voice in the medium of watercolors and am continuing to evolve towards a style that predominates, a journey that never ends but changes over time. 

My initial classes aligned perfectly with my desire to develop a “loose” painting style (not easy by the way) in the manner of many traditional English watercolorists of the 20th century such as James Fletcher Watson, Edward Wesson, Edward Seago, and John Yardley to name but a few. American artists’ work including that of early Andrew Wyeth (pre-Hopper) and John Singer Sargent have also inspired me to take a scene whether it be a landscape or other subject matter and to convey the scene with quick, minimal but careful brushwork, and a limited palette to convey the essence of the subject. My work often leaves much to the viewer’s imagination. 

To date, my work has been exhibited at several juried exhibitions including the Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, a number of West Michigan Area Shows (WMAS), and the Portage City Hall Annual Exhibition. I have won awards at several of the WMAS and have work in the KIA Permanent Collection.