Ron Jones’ pen and ink drawings are meandering journeys into another world. The precise shapes, deep symbolism, and grand scale, often upwards of several feet long, beg to be seen in person. He humorously notes that his medium of choice has been pen and ink—whether it be through drawing or poetry—since the invention of the Stick Figure.
Ron’s art is heavily influenced by his life experiences. In his own words,
“My graphic linework pen and ink drawings are designed in relation to my life experiences, my walk with God, my connection to Source, and over 25 years of employment in the world of nanotechnology manufacturing.”
There is so much to talk about regarding Ron’s work and career, so we will try to do him justice with this spotlight.
Ron was born in Santa Barbara, California, and was adopted within two weeks. After his adoptive parents divorced, he spent his time with his mother and sister in the Pacific Northwest and traveled to Southern California to visit his father. While he never knew his biological parents, he recognizes that the essence of his creations lies in his DNA. The “Source” refers to the specific relationship of being raised by his adoptive parents and having the DNA connection to his birth parents.
An interesting aspect of Ron’s art is the genre that it resides in. Although he received very positive feedback regarding his work as early as 1998, Ron heard from a Seattle gallery in 2016 that they viewed his work as unmarketable because of its “un-respected” genre. This draws from the misplaced idea that his work is, in essence, a doodle, which misses the mark. Ron’s work is intricate, massive, and not at all mindless in the way that doodles can be.
To illustrate this in-depth process, Ron uses Escherican mathematics and the Fibonacci Numbering system to advance his drawings. He’s drawn inspiration from many sources, including graphic masters and OP Artists such as M.C. Escher, Victor Vasarely, and Bridget Riley.
In addition to his own artistic practice, Ron curates for the Seattle-based A/NT Gallery (Art/Not Terminal Gallery), a role that constantly inspires him. Located just a two-minute walk from the Space Needle, the A/NT Gallery gets both significant pedestrian and online traffic—this, in part, makes it a great opportunity for SWA artists to investigate. With 35 years of experience under their belt, they’ve shown many both 2D and 3D artists. You can learn more about the AN/T gallery on its website.
Ron has been involved with non-profit community galleries throughout his career. In addition to curating for A/NT Gallery, he co-founded Mosaic Arts Alliance and was an art director for both Sixth Street Gallery and Gallery360. He also co-operated the curation business Drew-Jones Studio Art—all these roles helped him gain confidence as both an art patron and an artist, as he is inspired by helping other creators display their dreams.
Before we wrap this up, we want to highlight just a few of Ron’s drawings. You’re probably looking at his work digitally right now, but we hope you can see his work in person at some point—the detailed linework and dramatic scale demand it.
Visions of the Enigmist (2004), with its symmetry and contrast, it's not only satisfying to look at but conceptually fascinating—click on the link to read his words on it. It was his only drawing in 2004 as it took nine months of research and drawing. Like all his work, there is a lot to consider both with the extensive detail and fascinating imagery. Additionally, his attention to detail is particularly striking in the more recent work Through (2015) with perfect geometry and exact perspective.
Ron’s art has received several awards throughout his career. You can view his work online on his SWA page and on Fine Art America.