John Jones is best known for his picture story coats which brought powerful images into the streets and everyday life; one of his early coats now forms part of the V&A Collection. But Jones is also an accomplished digital artist who has worked with some of London's leading architects, and is now engaged with animated versions of his work and online virtual installations. He was one of the first artists to create an animated virtual gallery exhibiting his own artwork and post it on You Tube in 2006.
What or who are the main inspirations behind your work?
Everything around me, ideas just come into my head.
How do you approach the actual making of a piece?
It’s like a meditative process.
What’s your medium?
Digital pen & colour, virtual installation, 3d modelling, animation, video, pencil, paint, cut paper, leather, stitched forest leaves.
What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
My imagination.
Describe your work in 5 words.
Unique, colourful, fantastical, organic, dynamic.
Describe an average day for you.
Staring at a blank screen.
Does the impact of the viewer influence your work and if so how?
No.
What led you to become an artist?
I have always been one.
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
Being near the sea, drawing & painting.
What themes do you pursue?
Nature, time, transformation, fantasy, stories, ancient civilisation, virtual/real.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Someone wanting my bird image tattooed on her back.
What makes you angry?
The elusiveness of serenity.
When are you happiest?
Most of the time
What superpower would you have and why?
Being able to see around corners, sensing what is coming can be useful.
Name three artists you’d like to be compared to and why.
I can’t compare myself to other artists but I hope to colour like Matisse, dream like Chagall and capture souls like Thutmose.
What’s your favourite or most inspirational place?
The Welsh Mountains.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Trust your instincts.
In another life (if you weren’t an artist) what would you be doing?
I'd be an Intergalactic space cadet.
