![realistic white porch with spindled railings overlooking the ocean shore, original oil]( "Endings by Carroll Jones III") |
| Endings by Carroll Jones III |
Mr. Jones is not one to toot his own horn, he's pretty humble, and thankful he is able to make a living being an artist.
He is not an ordinary artist. His realism paintings and drawings are as close to perfection as he can get. He may work on them for weeks,months or even years. His attention to detail, light, color give a brightness to his work that almost makes it come alive. We feel as though we have
been there. Or, as in the case of
Endings, wish we could be there.
So many think the artist's lifestyle is bohemian, free spirited. For some it is. For those who stay, who make a living, it is filled with hours of intense concentration. In this case, the artist, Carroll Jones III of New Jersey sees the finished work in his mind. Over 50 years of preparation have helped him to anticipate the steps it takes to arrive at the end result. In his studio in Jersey City, overlooking the Hudson and NYC across the bay, he works 8 hours a day 7 days a week with the company of Percy and Cally, his red tabby and calico. No vacations, no sick days, he doesn't begrudge the gift of making a living doing what he loves. Once he enters the studio, he enters into another existence, outside the noise and bustle of everyday living, settling into the most comfortable place to be.
Mr. Jones' work is in the Montclair Museum Collection among many others. Coe Kerr Gallery of NYC once represented him, as well as Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. Private collections include those of Malcolm Forbes, Stephen Sondheim, Frederick R Koch (who gave him a $25,000 grant, which Mr. Jones relates he received "from out of nowhere"), Jean Shepherd, and William Schuman, all of whom appreciated his exacting craft, his master skill. Art Critic Marion Filler of the
Daily Record referred to Mr. Jones as a quiet man who was "the Keeper of Time's Flame". The vignettes he draws and paints come to life for those who see his work. He makes the commonplace beautiful, he sets the stage for our memories. His work has been compared to Andrew Wyeth's, referring to himself as "the poor man's Andrew Wyeth". He was heavily influenced by Edward Hopper, a student of Robert Henri, of the Ashcan School. His first teacher was his father, Carroll Jones, Junior who was an illustrator for Life magazine and a good friend of Norman Rockwell.
Mr. Jones made a successful living doing portraits for many years before realizing his vision was somewhere else.
His quote from
Midwest Art Magazine:
" In all these paintings there are no people. I just want the presence of
the people there. You can't evoke all of history if a single person
comes along. By having nobody there, you evoke the presence of
everyone whose ever been there...I made the plates for Another
August...This young black kid, maybe 16 or 17 years old, came up
and told me...(it) looked like the candy store he had gone into as a
little kid in upper New York state somewhere and he said, 'I can
feel the place: that's the exact same door that I walked through'. And
then I felt like I was a success. I felt that's who I want to reach, that's
exactly what I'm about."
His work is a gift to us. He should be taken care of, his work taken care of. He is a precious jewel.
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.jpg "Endings by Carroll Jones III")
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