EAST TEXAS IMPRESSIONS:THE ART OF CHARLES D. JONES

Published January 2017

Stephen F.Austin University Press

978-1-62288-141-3 

$45.00 

Brief Biography of Charles D. Jones

Charles D. Jones has a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Universidad de las Americas, Mexico, DF in Printmaking and a Master’s Degree

from New Mexico Highlands University. He came to Fine Press Printing as a long-time printmaker/teacher, specializing in the relief print. He began to set type and print text in combination with wood-engravings on letterpress in 1995.

After retiring from teaching to run the LaNana Creek Press full time, Jones was appointed Professor Emeritus of Art. He is influenced in his binding by Priscilla Spitler and the techniques developed at Book Lab, Austin, Texas. An active musician, Jones plays flamenco guitar and old time and Irish fiddle and mandolin.

Charles D. Jones has been an exhibiting artist throughout his career, with over 30 one-person exhibitions. He works in all graphic media but, in recent years, has concentrated on the woodcut, with nature as a central theme. His work was recently included in the Novosibirsk Graphic Biennale and in a separate exhibition at that museum. His recent exhibition record includes Nizny Tagil and Ufa, Russia, Paris and Rennes, France. His exhibitions have appeared at the Polytechnic University, Manchester, England; at The Klinker Cultural Center, Winschoten, Holland; and at Mexico City and Puebla, Mexico 

In my career as an artist I have been inspired to make art with a variety of media according to the perceived content of the idea. Some ideas are painting ideas some are musical or verbal. I have tried to work freely with what medium that seemed suitable. I work with all the printmaking media but prefer the releif print. I make books the old fashioned way with hand set type and relief plates and blocks. 

I grew up with books and was strongly influenced by artists like William Blake, Barry Moser and Leonard Baskin. I relish working with poets  and think of my work as creating a "duet" with image and text achieving a balance.

I have played the guitar since I was 10 years old, first traditional songs from East Texas, Mexican Trio music, then flamenco. When I was on active duty in the Marine Corps I would seek out teachers where ever I was stationed. Even in Binh Son, Rep. South Vietnam, I found someone to learn from even though he was only 11 years old.

Crazy Creek Studios is the home of creative activities for Charles and Corinne Jones located in deep East Texas outside Nacogdoches. The facilities encompass painting, drawing, and printmaking areas as well as areas for woodworking and musical practice and recording.

Corinne and I are retired from teaching at SFA St. University but  definitely not retired from making and exhibition art. This photo is from the preparation of my part of our exhibition at the Alberto Moretti gallery in Carmignando, near Florence, Italy in 2016.