Gallery at 129 Ossington

Stewart Jones

Upcoming Exhibitions at Gallery 129:

In Town and Shadow, Showing September 1 through September 25th, 2010

New Work, Showing December 1 through December 31, 2010

“I paint what I know -- places that I’ve been to, and taken something from. I could paint the same space for years and still be fascinated by the nuances of the place, and how its surroundings shape its being. I am interested, continually, in what happens in shadows, and how the cityscapes cut the sky. These geometric shapes become a focal point to my work, compositionally. As the minutes and hours pass, the character of a space changes, inviting me into yet another chapter of its history. I paint to invite you there to see it for yourself.”

Stewart Jones uses confident strokes in oil to capture seldom-noticed perspectives of downtown Toronto and other urban settings. He reveals skewed angles and offset compositions of alleys, buildings, power poles and wires. His views are slightly altered, as natural light and deep shadow transform each setting into an expressive personal representation of the city we might otherwise overlook. It is as though an everyday stroll through the city streets, Jones happens to glance upward at the mundane, and then transfer this personal view on canvas creating something commonplace yet utterly captivating. It is as though he takes an everyday stroll through the city, glances upward at the mundane, and transforms it into something utterly captivating.

Stewart Jones lives in Toronto and has extensive training in the arts, including a four-year associate diploma in drawing and painting from the Ontario College of Art and a three-year classical animation diploma from Sheridan College. He has been involved in short film development and commercial illustration, and has designed album artwork for local and international musicians Wayne Petti, Cuff the Duke and Andrew Rodriguez. In addition, he designed the Polaris Award nominated album “I’m a Mountain” for Sarah Harmer, and her Juno award winning DVD package for “Escarpment Blues.” His annual exhibitions include the Toronto Outdoor Show, the Speakeasy, Toronto Art Expo, AWOL Gallery's SQ.FT (2007 Peoples Choice Award) and this past March’s inaugural Artist Project Toronto. He is represented in Toronto by Gallery at 129 Ossington.