PHILIPPA JONES – Painter

This painting (below) was exhibited at the ILT Art Awards at City Gallery in Invercargill this year.

 

These three paintings were exhibited at Kitchen Bannockburn Central Otago, November 1-30 2013

 

Artist statement for three paintings above: These paintings are about place, the parched hills, the blue green lakes, the wide vistas. But they are also about mystery, about “out-there-ness”, and – most of all – they question the part we play in these landscapes – November 2013 The following five paintings were exhibited at  Ceres Wines and Gallery, Bannockburn Central Otago, September 13 to October 17:

Artist statement for Brave Odyssey series: This new series of paintings follows a narrative. While previously in my work I looked for solace in created “scenarios” populated by familiar objects, as the world becomes increasingly chaotic and the speed of change accelerates my paintings begin to describe journeys striking out into the unknown territory of the future. The  key symbol – a suitcase – evokes for me firstly a hesitant onlooker/questioner and, finally, an adventurer: optimistic or foolhardy? The paintings pose questions about where we are going and what course is navigable. They ask the big questions: what is out there? What does the future hold for our planet? Where will our odyssey take us?       –  Sept  2013 Opening night at Ceres Wines and Gallery, Bannockburn Central Otago, September 13 to October 17:

Artist Statement for Out Look: Simple spaces and simple objects and the relationship between them form the vocabulary I use in my paintings to conjure a tension between the familiar world we inhabit and experience and the world at large. Previously in my work I looked for solace in these created “scenarios” populated by familiar symbols. As the world becomes increasingly chaotic and the speed of change accelerates my paintings question where we are going: What is the outlook? – Philippa Jones, 2 July 2013

GOING FORWARD Paintings on aluminium, shown at Gusto Cafe, Wanaka January 2013 A new series of paintings with again the symbol I often use to suggest either emptiness and loss, or journeys to new places, on the unknowable sea under the endless sky. But now there is a destination: an uninhabited island.

 

GROUP EXHIBITION, DUNEDIN july 2012

IT’S A SMALL WORLD: PAINTING

Within the context of this exhibition the small scale of the work and use of a glass “canvas” is a further play on the idea of a focal point for my concerns. 

Acrylic on float glass 150mm x 100mm

My Artist Statement for Projection series: In my painting practice I work within the tradition of still life, using objects as motifs. By manipulating the light source in these interiors – whether it is actual or imaginary/impossible – I am referring to the current predicament of humanity in which the speed of change is actually increasing, compounding the difficulty of seeing a way forward.

My Artist Statement for Vantage Point series: By manipulating the vantage point in these landscapes, using landforms as motifs, from eye level to an almost aerial view I am referring to the difficulty of seeing a clear way forward.

REVIEW: The exhibition is the brainchild of third year Dunedin School of Art student Georgia Glass, who organised the entire venture after discovering an empty hallway in her flat on Albany Street. To make use of the space she decided to exhibit a collection of miniature artworks, which twelve New Zealanders created specially following a call for submissions. The variety of works is stunning, incorporating a wide range of mediums, styles, and subjects. Philippa Jones’ gorgeous acrylic glass artworks contemplate how humanity deals with flux and change through object scenarios; Gareth Blackler’s quirky portraits of owls and foxes showcase his fascination with Seventies psychedelia and ancient mythology; Alex Scott’s attention to detail is magnified tenfold on her rather unusual choice of canvas – the humble matchbox. There is something for everyone in this complex and diverse collection. Moving from artist to artist yields startling, abrupt, and sometimes disorienting (though not unpleasantly so) changes in mood and emotion.

While the artworks are gorgeous, what really makes the exhibition stand out is the experience itself. The problem Glass faced in attempting to convert the hallway into a mini gallery was lighting – namely, the fact that there was none. This dilemma was solved when Glass managed to find a couple of hand-held lanterns, which make viewing the collection a much more personal and concentrated experience. – The Critic, Dunedin

 

QUEST series

This series, in spite of the darkness of the palette – visually speaking- reflects my optimism as I metaphorically contemplate a way forward. Perhaps the light in the distance is a beacon, perhaps it’s a ship, arriving, leaving: your own interpretation is valid, and fine with me.

This painting below, mounted on aluminium, was shown for a local exhibition with a theme that appealed to me: Golden 150mm Square Art Exhibition in Cromwell. It’s my forlorn little boat motif making its hopeful way forward on an ambiguous sea, challenged by a black night sky. It SOLD on opening night.

SCENARIO SERIES

In my paintings I use simple objects – sometimes over and over – as symbols, setting them up in spatial relationships to form what I call scenarios.By manipulating the light source, actual or imagined, I am creating an atmosphere that expresses my feelings about and my interpretation of the visual world I inhabit/experience. In this way  I have begun to find a voice for issues that concern me.