Erik Jones

Erik Jones  (b. 1982) is an American artist who creates frenetic figurative “paintings” that push familiar human subjects into fantastical territories. The Florida-based artist uses a vibrant, electrifying palette to depict highly distinct faces with gesticulating bodies in surreal environments, then distorting those bodies with spiraling fusions of pure color. Moving into more narrative forms of experimental painting, Jones explores how human creativity and adaptability have led to technical and cultural innovations: the colorful swells and organic forms of the body expand the human form beyond what is physically possible, pointing to the evolution of human experiences since our first appearance on Earth over 2 million years ago. 

Coming from a relatively traditional painting education, Jones’s process has become more experimental over the years, using common art making materials in unfamiliar or odd ways to generate his uncanny figures. Initiating his creative process with quick, energetic studies that foreground colors in motion, the artist then realizes his large scenes by collaging oil or acrylic painted paper, wax medium, or dried acrylic paint pours onto wood panels to depict the dynamic figures and their erupting scenery. By bringing what would be 2-dimensional figures into the 3-dimensional plane through intense draftsmanship and layering, Jones connects his super-natural nudes to the inspirations of these forms: real humans moving through extraordinary situations.

Jones was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. He attended Ringling College of Art and Design and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2007. Shortly after he completed his studies, he moved to New York. Jones also resided outside of Chicago for several years before returning to Florida, where he is currently based. His work has been shown nationally and internationally.