Between Earth and Sky: Works by Heather Jones and Jeffrey Cortland Jones

On View: February 10th, – April 7th, 2018

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Opening Reception: Saturday, February 10th, 4-6 pm

Artist talk with Jones & Jones: Saturday, February 10th 3 pm

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Marta Hewett Gallery is pleased to present Between Earth and Sky, an exhibition of works by Heather Jones and Jeffery Cortland Jones. Both artists are inspired by the visually changing moments in the landscape, particularly at the horizon line is where color shifts constantly. The element of line is important in both their work, as they explore and accentuate those places where colors interact and transform. The gallery will host a discussion by the artists’ at 3 pm, describing their individual studio practices and processes, as well as their mutual influence and the logistics of having two studios at home while raising a family. This informal discussion will be followed by an opening reception from 4 - 6 pm. This event is free and open to the public.  

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As husband and wife, and full-time professionals, both artists have developed a unique style in very different media, textiles vs. enamel on plexiglass, while nodding to the subtle influences they have on each other’s work. Jeffrey’s paintings have a pristine surface, with little indication of the hand. The transition from one color to another is, at times, imperceptible and achieved through the application of very thin layers of enamel paint on both the front and back of the plexiglass panel. His color is an exploration of subtle changes that occur between hues, opacity and transparency, matte and glossy surfaces, and warm and cool tones. The minimal and deceivingly monochromatic paintings are rich with layers of color that are pushed to the moment just before they become white.  In contrast, Heather’s compositions are created by traditionally placing one piece of colored fabric next to another. Her palette is derived from a seemingly unlimited array of textile hues that are at her disposal. Her thoughtful combinations of fabrics are influenced by the work of Joseph Albers, considered the modern master of color theory, illustrating how colors shift in temperature, value and intensity when in proximity to each other. Heather’s recent works blur the lines between painting and textile art. Subtle color changes and striking geometric compositions flow through each artists’ work as both explore the shifting relationship of colors as they meet. The geometry shared by their works are influenced by the landscape – whether it’s rural dwellings or industrial architecture each artist finds beauty and inspiration in their surroundings.

 

Artists Biographies:

 

Heather Jones is an artist, designer, and educator whose work questions and pushes traditional conceptions of both quilt making and painting. Her work is represented by Imlay Gallery, Montclair, NJ. She is a three-time winner of the Project Modern Quilt Design competition and a two-time finalist for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. Her work has been exhibited widely at venues including the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH (solo); Marta Hewitt Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; Iowa Quilt Museum, Winterset, IA; New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA; Boecker Contemporary, Heidelberg, Germany; Art on Paper Fair, New York, NY; the University of California, Berkley, CA; Raygun Projects, Toowoomba, Australia; and the University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. Heather’s first book, Quilt Local: Finding Inspiration in the Everyday was released in October 2015 by STC Craft, an imprint of Abrams, New York. Heather’s work has been featured in numerous books and magazines such as Martha Stewart Living; Lucky Spool’s Essential Guide to Modern Quilt Making; Modern Patchwork; Modern Quilting Magazine; and Curated Quilts. She teaches quilting and design workshops across the country, offers online classes through Creativebug.com, and has appeared on PBS’s Quilting Arts TV and Fresh Quilting. A native Cincinnatian, Heather studied art history at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning, earning both a Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Arts (ABT). She currently lives just outside the city on a small farm with her husband Jeffery Courtland Jones and two young children.

 

Jeffrey Cortland Jones is a painter, curator, and professor who lives in Southwestern Ohio. His work is represented by Angela Meleca Gallery, Columbus, OH; Galleri Urbane, Dallas + Marfa, TX; Gallery IMA, Seattle, WA; Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY; TW Fine Art, Brisbane, Australia; and @Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Jeffrey’s work has been widely exhibited and has been written about in the Wall Street Journal (where Peter Plagens wrote that his solo exhibition at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts was “the best thing in a back room I’ve seen in a long time,”) Art LTD magazine, Contemporary Art Review LA, WideWalls, showcased twice in the national publication New American Paintings, and featured in over 150 exhibitions since 2010. He has had solo exhibitions at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York; Boecker Contemporary, Heidelberg, Germany; Pratt Institute, Brooklyn; Raygun Projects, Toowoomba, Australia; Galleri Urbane, Dallas; RZT Gallery, Las Vegas; SomeWalls, Oakland; Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati; and Gray Contemporary, Houston; and has been included in group exhibitions at Jamie Brooks Fine Art, Los Angeles, Cheryl Hazan Contemporary, New York; Lyons Wier Gallery, New York; Skibum MacArthur, Los Angeles; Centre d’art Contemporain, Metz, France; the Elmhurst Art Museum, Chicago; Matthew Rachman Gallery, Chicago; Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn; Zeitgeist Gallery, Nashville; Lewisham Arthouse, London, England; Mini Galerie, Amsterdam, Netherlands; &Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland; Galerie oqbo, Berlin, Germany; Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, Germany; Pharmaka, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkley; TW Fine Art, Brisbane, Australia; Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn; Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia; the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art; Hoffman LaChance Contemporary, St. Louis; and Jordan Faye Contemporary, Baltimore. He received a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning and a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, both in Painting and Drawing. Jeffrey is a Professor of Art at the University of Dayton where he heads the Painting program. In addition to making work, Jeffrey also actively curates exhibitions at a number of galleries and alternative spaces, including DIVISIBLE, a project space he co-founded in 2014.