Gareth Jones first took to painting following his diagnosis with Bipolar Disorder, ADD, Borderline Personality Disorder and OCD.
After first being advised to try something ‘creative’ in a psychiatric hospital, Gareth then locked himself in a makeshift studio for months. When he emerged, he had developed a specific, autobiographical style which incorporated traditional painting techniques together with a more chaotic approach involving the use of various mixed media.
Gareth is obsessed with quirks of humanity, human history and mental illness, especially how his own mental illnesses form a prism through which he sees the world. Working out of studios in London and the midlands, he uses paint, composite materials and found objects to make artwork that consistently balances powerful imagery with acute critical analysis.
Told to ‘write it all down for the doctors’, he chose instead to create a visual log of his illness to document a chaotic mind.
Self taught or art school?
Self taught all the way! I would have loved to have gone to art school (mainly for the girls) but I started quite late and I have the concentration of a gnat, so I fear it would have been a waste of money.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Ahhh tricky one but it would be Hero and Leander (To Christopher Marlowe) by Cy Twombly. I look at that painting for hours and then when I’m nearly done, I have a couple of beers and look at it for several more hours! It is packed with abstract content that takes me on a journey through and around time. It is stunning….and that’s not just the beers talking.
How would you describe your style?
I am Bipolar, have OCD and a couple of other mental illnesses so my work has always been based on the fact that I am clinically insane, but very lovable! My style involves looking at the world through the prism of my illnesses and recording my findings using paint, textiles and other mixed media on canvas.
Where are your favourite places to view art?
Any gallery but preferably quite a big one so I can look around unnoticed for a while before chatting to any gallerists. I love those big white wall galleries and have done ever since I had a job handing out flyers at the Saatchi Gallery when I moved to London at 18. Being able to see work by Tracey Emin and Damian Hirst all day was a fascinating insight into the art world at that time.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
Oh my days! Such a long list! I love Zoe Buckman for that incredible embroidery work, Danny Fox for his horses, Kingsley Ifil for his incredible print work and Tracey Emin for that unmade bed and those that have gone thereafter!
What or who inspires your art?
Mental health, boobs, anything kitsch, history, sex, anything that makes me giggle and this weird little society we live in.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
Ahhhh… I just started renting a great studio in Ladbroke Grove that I had moved into, installed all my paints, exotic leathers, canvas and some beautiful African fabrics. I’d even added a beer fridge! I was lined up to to make some huge pieces that I was really excited about….and then came lockdown. Booo. My studio is now the attic room in my house. Although I can’t make many of the textured, abstract pieces anymore due to space restrictions, I’ve started a new project so that I can try something new, and crucially keep painting in the space I have.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I used to open a bottle of wine and plate up some sausage rolls. It’s something I did for studio visits, but then turned into most painting sessions. It got very expensive and I put on about seven stone! So now I just have a playlist of all my favourite music ever and a litre of icy Ribena and that sorts me out. Low maintenance.
What are you working on currently?
Seeing as I don’t have access to my studio and can’t make my usual textile-based abstracts, I’m working on a new project called Oopsy Jones (@oopsy_jones) from my attic. It will be a series of quite naughty figurative oil paintings about hyper sexuality in the modern world. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try and completely different to my usual work, so I’m very excited!
What are your ambitions?
I would like to keep making work and to keep selling so I can afford studio rent, materials and great wine. I’d love to work until I was very old and maybe snuff it, paintbrush in hand with my body going limp and my head falling onto a plate of aforementioned sausage rolls.