About

Short Bio

An "emerging" middle aged artist, Sonja Jones enjoys approaching wildlife and nature painting from different perspectives.

Statement

I find myself drawn to wildlife and the natural world, for what greater beauty than that which God has wrought? Yet I would not consider myself an artist and mortal, if I did not try to put my own spin on things. Contradictions intrigue me; combining the realistic with the abstract, natural renderings with unnaturally bold colors, finely detailed drawings alongside simplified bold outlines.  My eclectic approach also applies to the mediums I work with.  I currently create in acrylics, watercolors, scratchboard, and alcohol inks, and use my own photography as reference for most of my artwork.  

Biography

Although she still considers herself to be an emerging artist, Sonja Jones has been involved in painting all her life, in one form or another.  She developed her sense of color and line work through decades working as a professional commercial and house painter, following in the steps of her parents.  Her skill and passion for faux painting techniques, signage, and murals was evident early on, and eventually led to her applying her talents to a "smaller" canvas after leaving the paint contracting business. She has earned a B.A. in economics from the Univeristy of Michigan, and an MBA from Oakland University.  And, although she has no formal arts education, she credits workshops with watercolorists Valerie Tollover and David Rankin for helping her to develop skills in that medium. As an emerging artist, she is in a stage where  she is now exploring and honing her skills with varied media; but a constant thread in her work has been the natural world and our connection to it.  Having lived throughout the Midwest in Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio, and now sharing her time between Ohio and Arizona, the artist frequently focuses on the flora and fauna of those places. 

Resume / CV

While the artist is mostly self-taught, she has had the pleasure and benefit of workshops with watercolorists David Rankin and Valerie Tolliver.

Her work has been displayed at the Fin, Fur & Feather Exhibit at the Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls, OH, the Breckenridge Winter Art Show in Willoughby Hills, OH, and in the online galleries of Colors of Humanity and Bauhaus Prarie Gallery.

Awards include Honorable Mention - Watercolor, Boston Mills Artfest 2019; Honorable Mention - Watercolor Body of Work - Euclid Art Show, 2018

Additionally, her pieces are displayed by private collectors in Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Brooklyn, NY; Honolulu, HI; and throughout Northeastern Ohio

She is a member of the Euclid Art Association, the Highland Heights Art Society, and the Ann Arbor Guild of Artists & Artisans.

Please look for the artist at the 2021 Kensington Art Fair, May 29-31, 2021 at Kensington Metropark in Milford, MI
and the Chardon Square Art Fest, Aug. 8th, 2021, in Chardon, OH.

Sorry, but due to concerns over the Covid 19 pandemic the 2021 Boston Mills Art Fest has been cancelled.