Amy Jones
Artist Statement
My most recent project utilizes narrative techniques. I am reinterpreting biblical stories and exploring cultural expressions of the good and evil dichotomy. I am particularly interested in the good-hero-versus-evil-villain construction. I’m interested in the blacks, whites and grays of good and bad, and in the struggle of good over bad.
The first four paintings in this series rely upon biblical allusions. I have fused images found in magazines, imagery from Sienese paintings, and El Greco characters into collages. The appropriated historical art figures encourage viewers to recall biblical themes, but collaging contemporary figures into the scene helps them to relate to the story by making them part of it. I want people to look at these paintings and to reconsider their own experiences and observations in these dualistic terms. I want them to reflect whether there is a heaven or hell and a right or wrong.
Pop culture provides a cast of good guy versus bad guy characters for my paintings that I will collage and then paint into visual stories. Recently, I have been thinking about how army men, toy cowboys, angels, and the good transformer, Bumblebee, will be my cast of good guys. The devil, the big bad wolf, and Megatron, a bad transformer, will be the bad guys. Contemporary settings and moral problems will be explored within the stories. With the transformers, in particular, I am interested in their ability to transform themselves to deal with situations much like people do. I like their robotic qualities in that they make us consider our fragility and impermanence as humans. I relate to becoming a robot when life becomes monotonous. We age, we do not have armor, but we can transform and overcome. Even so, my paintings question if we have choices, if we are wired to be good or bad, and if there is room for a miracle transformation.
My most recent project utilizes narrative techniques. I am reinterpreting biblical stories and exploring cultural expressions of the good and evil dichotomy. I am particularly interested in the good-hero-versus-evil-villain construction. I’m interested in the blacks, whites and grays of good and bad, and in the struggle of good over bad.
The first four paintings in this series rely upon biblical allusions. I have fused images found in magazines, imagery from Sienese paintings, and El Greco characters into collages. The appropriated historical art figures encourage viewers to recall biblical themes, but collaging contemporary figures into the scene helps them to relate to the story by making them part of it. I want people to look at these paintings and to reconsider their own experiences and observations in these dualistic terms. I want them to reflect whether there is a heaven or hell and a right or wrong.
Pop culture provides a cast of good guy versus bad guy characters for my paintings that I will collage and then paint into visual stories. Recently, I have been thinking about how army men, toy cowboys, angels, and the good transformer, Bumblebee, will be my cast of good guys. The devil, the big bad wolf, and Megatron, a bad transformer, will be the bad guys. Contemporary settings and moral problems will be explored within the stories. With the transformers, in particular, I am interested in their ability to transform themselves to deal with situations much like people do. I like their robotic qualities in that they make us consider our fragility and impermanence as humans. I relate to becoming a robot when life becomes monotonous. We age, we do not have armor, but we can transform and overcome. Even so, my paintings question if we have choices, if we are wired to be good or bad, and if there is room for a miracle transformation.
