VIBRANT PORTRAITURE
BY ARTIST ERIK JONES

Jones is preparing a solo exhibition at Jonathan Levine Gallery in Chelsea

By Chad Saville

Erik Jones is a Brooklyn-based artist who creates hypnotic portraits of beautiful women. Using watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic, and wax pastels, Jones conjures gorgeous nudes within a hurricane of color.

Born in Florida and trained at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Jones was heavily influenced as a young artist by pinup painters George Petty, Alberto Vargas, and Gil Elvgren. Due to his figurative skill and line quality, Jones found early work creating cover art for comic books. He eventually left this field to create his own work, and moved to New York City with just $81 in his pocket.

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New work for Jonathan Levine Solo Show in pencil, acrylic, wax pastel and oil

Jones’ subjects are always gorgeous women, sometimes nude, and embraced by non-representational shapes, bursts of color and pattern, which “mimic geometric high-end fashion,” according to the artist. Jones exhibited with Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome last fall. Presently, he is preparing for a solo exhibition at Jonathan Levine Gallery 529 West 20th Street Apr 2 — Apr 30, 2016. To see more of Jones’ work you can follow him on Instagram @erikjonesart

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HAPPY

“Despite all the clutter and chaos in these newer works, there is something soothing and comfortable in each piece, at least I feel there is. I believe it’s the patterns that you’re subconsciously finding that keep it from being completely chaotic and overwhelming to look at.” ~Erik Jones (2013), in conversation with Jackie Kail of supersonicart.com

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