Body Of Work

The Work Of Erik Jones Melds Classical Techniques With A Graphic Sensibility, Placing Realistic Portraits Within Wild, Colourful, Abstract Shapes.

- Ruth Hamilton

Erik Jones is a fine artist whose works owe a lot to the world of graphic design. His highly recognisable output combines strikingly accurate figure painting and vibrant, non-representational graphic forms. He’s equally experimental with media – a typical artwork might require everything from oil paints to a Wacom tablet and an airbrush.

Jones is now based in Brooklyn, and creates fine art for galleries all over the world, including a recent New York exhibition that saw him push his style into previously unexplored territory. We caught up with him to learn how he found his aesthetic, the realities of being a professional artist nowadays, and how a Photoshop class changed his life forever.

Tell us a bit about your artistic background. What did you study at Ringling College?

My professors were mostly illustrators who were very tech-savvy. Along with traditional painting and drawing classes I was forced to learn digital art. (When I started my first day of college I didn’t know how to turn on a computer.) I wasn’t a fan and remained stubbornly ignorant towards art on the computer.

There was also an Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop design class where I first discovered graphic design. I’m trying not to sound too dramatic about it, but it changed my life. It changed how I viewed and created art.

How did you develop your current painting style?

After college I focused on developing my figure-painting skills. My influences at the time, mostly being graphic design and abstract art, led me to introduce geometric/colourful shapes to my paintings.