Born in 1925 in Waterloo, Quebec, Jones presently lives in Morin-Heights in the Laurentians. He spends the winters in Mexico, the inspiration for his magnificent large paintings.
1960 - 1967: teaches drawing at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School of Art and Design.
1967 - 1983: teaches drawing and sculpture at Sir Williams University (Concordia).
1970: teaches graphic design at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
1973 - 1975: teaches sculpture at McGill University in Montreal.
For over 35 years Jones has been creating works of art in pottery, jewellery in gold and silver, paintings and sculptures.
The artist works on six or seven paintings at the same time. He finds it difficult to part with his work once it is completed and even then he returns to his paintings time and again to redo a signature, change a minor detail, etc.
STUDIES
Fine arts at Sir George Williams University.
Fine Arts at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School of Art and Design.
Studied with Dr. Arthur Lismer, Gordon Weber, Eldon Grier and Jacques de Tonnancour.
TECHNIQUE/MEDIUM
Jones works in oil on masonite, water-colour and drawings in pen and ink, crayon and pencil; his sculptures are steel, fibreglass and ceramic.
SUBJECT-MATTER
The subjects that interest the artist are:
· Still life
· Nudes in nature
· Horses, trees
· Occasional portraits.
His art is both spiritual and amusing. The three colours of the Mexican flag, red, green and white appear frequently in the paintings. Eggs, cherries and oranges are repetitive themes in his still life compositions. His major paintings are inherently sexual, audacious and mysterious.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
· 2006 : Masked/Unmasked, Galerie Valentin, Montréal
· 2003 : Drawings & related works, Galerie Valentin, Montréal
· 2003, 1999, 97 : Gallery Gevik, Toronto
· 1997 : Bau-Xi Gallery, Vancouver
· 1996, 94, 82: Galerie Kastel, Montreal
· 1981: Galerie Pierre Larin, St-Sauveur-des Monts
· 1980: Galerie Excentrique, St-Sauveur-des-Monts
· 1972: Rétrospective, Université Sir George Williams
· 1969: Sculptures, Galerie Jerrold Morris, Toronto
· 1969: Sculptures, Galerie Waddington, Montréal
· 1962: Galerie d’art Penthouse, Montréal
· 1959: Exposition itinérante de Régina à Vancouver
· 1955 et 1961: Galerie XII du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
· 1953 et 1957: Galerie Agnès Lefort, Montréal
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
· 2010-09-08-07-06-05-04-03-02-01-00: Small size paintings, Galerie Valentin, Montreal
· 2005-04-03-02-01-00-99-98: Galerie D'Avignon, Montreal
· 2005-04-03-02: Toronto International Art Fair, Galerie D'Avignon
· 2011-10-09-08-07-06-05-04-03-02-01-00-99-98-97-96-95-94-93: Artists' choice, Galerie Valentin, Montreal
· 1999: Self-portrait, Galerie Valentin, Montreal
· 1996: Agnès Lefort Gallery, The founding years 1959-61, Concordia University, Montreal
· 1993: 25th anniversary, Kastel Gallery, Montreal
· 1993-92-91 : Spring collection , Galerie Y. Desgagnés, Baie St-Paul
· 1992: Quebec Sculpture 1946-1961, Musée du Québec
· 1991: Quebec Artists, Fredericton, N. B.
· 1991: Canadian Art of the XX century, Galerie Michel Bigué, St-Sauveur-des-Monts
· 1990: Collector’s Choice, Kastel Gallery, Montreal
· 1986: Inaugural exhibition on Sherbrooke St , Galerie Valentin, Montreal
· 1985: Galerie L’Art Français presents, Galerie Valentin, Montreal
· 1984: The landscape in Quebec painting, Galerie l’Art Français, Montreal
· 1984: 50th anniversary, 50 artists, Galerie l’Art Français, Montreal
· 1981: Still life, Galerie l’Art Français, Montreal
· 1981, 1977, 1974 et 1972: Fine Arts Faculty Show, Sir George Williams University, Montreal
· 1980: Shell Canada collection, Calgary
· 1970: 20 years of Quebec sculpture, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal and Musée Rodin, Paris
· 1970-45: Panorama of Quebec sculpture
· 1973, 65: Thomas More Associates annual exhibition, Montreal
· 1967: Exhibition of previous Spring Show prize winners 1908 to 1965, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
· 1967: Sculpture 67, Toronto
· 1966-67: Canadian Crafts travelling exhibition, National Gallery of Canada
· 1966: Black and White, Studio 23
· 1964: Town Hall, Arvida, Quebec
. 1961-60-58-57-56-54-51: Spring Show, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
· 1960: Young Montreal Painters, Travelling exhibition, Toronto Museum, Toronto
· 1959-58: Annual sale of Canadian art, Art Gallery of Toronto
· 1959-58: Women’s Committee Exhibition, Art Gallery of Toronto
· 1959-58: Canadian Group of Painters
· 1958: Roberts Gallery, Toronto
· 1957: 35 Contemporary painters, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
· 1957-56: Ceramics, sculptures, enamels, gold and silver jewellery, Université de Montréal
· 1957-53: Agnès Lefort Gallery, Montreal
· 1956: Exhibition of Canadian paintings and sculptures, Université de Sherbrooke
· 1956: Panorama of Montreal painting, Ile Ste-Hélène barracks, Montreal
· 1956, 55: Exhibition of Canadian Group of Painters, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
· 1955: Midtown Gallery, Montreal
· 1955: Canadian Ceramics, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
· 1955: First annual exhibition of the Canadian Group of Painters, National Gallery of Canada
· 1954: Garret Studio, Montreal
· 1954: Ste-Adèle Art Centre
· 1950: Les Rebelles, Montreal
BIBLIOGRAPHY
· Autour de: H.W. “Jimmy” Jones, Bernard Tanguay, 1996
· Henry Wanton Jones, publié par la galerie Kastel Inc. 1994
· Jimmy Jones, Magazin’Art, 6ème année, no. 4, été 1994
· La sculpture au Québec, 1946-1961, Michel Martin Saint-Pierre, 1992
· Dix-huit aperçus sur le senor Jones, Bernard Tanguay, Le Collectionneur, Printemps/été 1991
· Le Paysage dans la peinture au Québec, Guy Boulizon, 1984
· Art actuel au Québec, guy robert, Iconia, 1983
· Le nu dans l’art au Québec, Jacques Roussan, 1982
· Love affair with gov’t turns sour, Dan Karon, The Ottawa Journal, 9 Août 1975
· L’art au Québec depuis 1940, Guy Robert, La Presse, 1973
· Four Decades: The Canadian Group of Painters and their contemporaries, 1930-1970, Paul Duval, 1972
· Small sculptures speak a personal language, Michael White, The Gazette, 1972
· Landscape, but in sculpture, Irène Heywood, The Gazette, 04/07/1970
· Sculpture ’67, Dorothy Cameron, 1968
· Les Beaux-Arts, Claude Jasmin, La Presse, 1962
· Jones et Caiserman, Jean-René Ostiguy, Le Devoir, 1955
· L’Exposition de Jimmy Jones est spectaculaire, R. De Repentigny, La Presse, 1955
· Studio 23, Jean-René Ostiguy, Le Devoir 1954---
COLLECTIONS
· Musée du Québec
· Winnipeg Art Gallery
· Musée d’art de Joliette
· Ministère des affaires extérieures
· Ministère des Travaux Publics, Hull
· Centre d’art de la Confédération, Charlottetown
· Collection McMichael, Kleinburg, Ontario
· Bundy Art gallery, Waitsfield, Vermont
· Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario
· Université Concordia, Montréal
· Université du Nouveau-Brunswick, Fredericton
· Institut Thomas More, Montréal
· Confédération des caisses populaires Desjardins
· Loto-Québec, Montréal
· Dupont Canada Inc., Mississauga, Ontario
