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Gene Sasse the Founder and Director of The Inland Empire Museum of Art (IEMA) is starting 2019 with an innovative new exhibition. The solo exhibit entitled Discovering Receptive Abstract Patternism© features the paintings of Rod Jones artist. This is an important exhibit and a first for the Southern California art museum because the show title was chosen from the artist’s own interpretation of his painting style.

Rod Jones is a Southern California Artist. After spending a good part of his career as a Commercial Advertising Photographer, he shifted his energy to operating his own creative services and marketing company. Approximately 18 years ago he started to develop his painting style. Rod often states because he “committed to painting later in life, he knew he did not have the luxury of spending many years creating his own unique vision for his art.” The style he embraced is one that initially evolved from painting in the Impressionist style. Today his art is considered by many to be especially authentic. When viewed, the body of his art has a common theme yet each piece clearly stands on its own. Collectors with a sensitive eye appreciate that his work is constantly evolving and that the style that he has created is open-ended and has no restrictions.

“I push my chosen art style with every painting I do. Some are more successful than others. But I’m not afraid to challenge either the viewer or myself. If I can use color and form in an eclectic way and still maintain some semblance of continuity, then I am accomplishing my goal.”

His style has been intelligently named Receptive Abstract Patternism™, a term coined by his daughter. She determined that the style revolves around the artist receiving conscious and subconscious signals and stimuli to create an image independent of common form, held together by the continuity and comfort of a pattern.

Jones paints an image in an unorthodox manner, while maintaining a common thread through the comfort of distinct patterns. Each original painting has interconnected elements that speak distinctly to each observer. Rod’s paintings are interpreted individually by his audience – for example some spark a soothing and meditative reflection while others see the same painting as energetic and modern.

Rod explains, “While most people understand the word abstract… because it certainly is. Most of my work is non-representational and non-objective. So it’s easy to conclude that my artwork is abstract. The word Patternism is pretty obvious…we often say that the paintings are held together by the continuity and comfort of pattern. As the work has progressed some of these patterns are quite complex. Others are simple. But if you view the vast number of paintings I have created, you will quickly see the style and many-faceted uses of patterns. Now is the part of the term I am particularly partial to, the word Receptive. You have to be pretty open in your thinking to be receptive, open to being creative. Plus you can’t be overly objective. Of course, you can be receptive to outside influences, many representational artists are, and they interpret subject matter with their own unique styles. My Receptive style requires the stimulation to percolate up from my own non-objective thinking.”

Gene Sasse states, “ As the museum Director during the past five years, I have been host to many wonderful exhibits and have curated many of these shows. For me this exhibit was fresh and innovative, and I believe it will be very well received by our museum audience and patrons. And a great start to the 2019 art season.”

Discovering Receptive Abstract Patternism exhibit will be on display from:

January 6- February 10, 2019.

The Opening Reception will be January 6, 2019 from 2 – 5 pm.

Art Talk will be on January 19, 2019, 6-8 pm

Inland Empire Museum of Art (IEMA)

The Inland Empire Museum of Art is positioned to be one of the leading arts venues in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Incorporated in 2013, IEMA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public benefit corporation that not only compliments, but enhances the artistic endeavors in the region. The museum is helping to create strong bonds in the community, while addressing the need for cultural enhancement and educational support. IEMA is working to develop public/private partnerships, with the museum playing host to enriching the Inland Empire. Art museums play a constructive role in society by enhancing the quality of life in the community. The goal of the Inland Empire Museum of Art is to become an arts destination, free to the public, where art, education and connections come alive. Our mission is to enrich cultural life in the Inland Empire and beyond, to foster and promote the study, appreciation and understanding of art through exhibits, education and publications. IMEA is located at 1334 North Benson Avenue, Unit D, Upland, California 91786.

 


Recent article published in the online magazine Voyage LA featuring an interview with Rod Jones Artist

http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-rod-jones/

From the article:

Rod Jones Artist in the Studio
In art studio photograph of Rod Jones artist taken by the artist Inci Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rod Jones. Him and his team share his story with us below.

Please kick things off for us with some background on the story.
Rod Jones is a Southern California Artist. After spending a good part of his career as a Commercial Advertising Photographer, he shifted his energy to operating his own creative services and marketing company. Approximately 17 years ago he started to develop his painting style. Rod often states because he committed to painting later in life, he knew he did not have the luxury of spending many years creating his own unique vision for his art. The style he embraced is one that evolved from initially painting in the Impressionist style. Today his art is considered by many to be especially authentic. When viewed, the body of his art has a common theme yet each piece clearly stands on its own. Collectors with a sensitive eye appreciate that his work is constantly evolving and that the style that he has created is open-ended and has no restrictions.

“I push my chosen art style with every painting I do. Some are more successful than others. But I’m not afraid to challenge either the viewer or myself. If I can use color and form in an eclectic way and still maintain some semblance of continuity, then I am accomplishing my goal.”

His style has been intelligently named Receptive Abstract Patternism™, a term coined by his daughter. She determined that the style revolves around the artist receiving conscious and sub-conscious signals and stimuli to create an image independent of common form, held together by the continuity and comfort of a pattern.

The Artist Rod Jones has accumulated a substantial amount of work over the last 17 years resulting in a collection that is worth exploring. The style is ever evolving, but so many of the pieces that were created are a testament to true artistic originality.

Please tell us about your art.
Definition of Receptive Abstract Patternism

After a long successful career as a Commercial Photographer, I picked up paintbrush, which is something I did when I was younger. Like any budding artist, you have a desire to try many different styles and techniques of painting. I went through this phase somewhat rapidly. One thing did become apparent; I was very much interested in color and shapes. From my earliest paintings, the style I call Receptive Abstract Patternism™ started to materialize.

Before I get into it too deeply, an interesting note as to the actual derivation of the term…it came from my daughter who was 17 at the time, she was living with my paintings scattered all over the home, my studio and of course hanging on the wall of her bedroom – her choice, not mine. At breakfast, she turned to my wife and I and said, “ You should call your work Receptive Abstract Patternism”. I knew instantly that was a pretty insightful name for my style of art.

Ok, so what is Receptive Abstract Patternism™ exactly?

While most people can understand the word abstract… because it certainly is. Most of my work is non-representational and non-objective. So it’s easy to conclude that my artwork is abstract. The word Patternism is pretty obvious…we often say that the paintings are held together by the continuity and comfort of pattern. As the work has progressed some of these patterns are quite complex. Others are simple. But if you view the vast number of painting I have created, you will quickly see the style and many-faceted uses of patterns.

Now is the part of the term I am particularly partial to, the word Receptive. You have to be pretty open in your thinking to be receptive, open to being creative. Plus you can’t be overly objective. Of course, you can be receptive to outside influences, many representational artists are, and they interpret subject matter with their own unique styles. My Receptive style requires the stimulation to percolate up from my own non-objective thinking.

I never or very rarely ever plan out a painting, they just evolved on the canvas. Colors seem to beget colors, shapes seem to find their own juxtapositions, and the work starts to look cohesive. I can honestly say, it’s just as much fun for me to see how they end up. Many an early morning, I have gone into the studio to see what the previous day’s work yielded. Even the paintings that I thought had the potential of being total disasters somehow managed to save themselves overnight. Some of my work is simple. Not too terribly complicated, but no one can argue that it’s not original.

Historically there have been artists that fervently state that they’re not inspired by anything. I fall in line with those creatives, and I can confidently say I do not get any real inspiration from the world around me. Some of my paintings end up with titles with a nature theme. But this is the result of studying the work long after completion. Some of my pieces beg for names…while others are painfully difficult to name. But that is one of the great joys of being an artist.

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
It saddens me greatly to see artists take such strong political views purely for the sake of hoping it will bring attention to them and make them “popular”. It appears to me that your art should stand on its own without gravitating to seamier agenda driven expressions.

For me, I have always been considerably more popular outside of the U.S., especially the UK, Italy, and France. I have work hanging in homes in South America. And I have been approached by Chinese collectors.

There has been a huge amount of noise made about the art world’s rigged system and especially the after-market sales.

To use an old adage, cream always surfaces and true collectors love discovering art, and they have learned to buy with their eyes and heart and less with their ears.

I have received the greatest accolades internationally, so I concentrate my marketing efforts there. But I also know that the L.A. art market is prodigious, and no doubt is responsible for some of the most trendy art scene today.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My website: https://rodjonesartist.com/

Instagram: @RodJonesArtist

Museum show January 2019 at the Inland Empire Museum of Art

 


 

Rod Jones Artist Quote
Inspirational Quotes from Rod Jones Artist

The Hat-Tipping Corner of Abstract Art

By Ng J-Cyn, March 20, 2018

Categories, categories, categories.

We deal with them every day, a quotidian practice that helps our chaotic world get just a little bit more organized. Well when it comes to the art world, with its splendid diversity, categorization becomes even more essential. Even the most clueless person should be able to tell you that if the art world were split down the middle, you’d have two main categories – Realistic and Abstract. And if we put these two extremes on a scale, we would find Receptive Abstract Patternism on the far end of the side of Abstraction. Never heard of that before? No worries, today you’ll be opened up to a new world of art, possibly the genre that is remodeling or sharpening the concept of what Abstraction means in art.

Receptive Abstract Patternism is a fairly modern art movement, emerging from the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, California, and continues to grow under its founder, Rod Jones, since 17 years ago till date. With a bullet-train-like frequency of roughly one painting churned out per week, or four per month, the diligent machine of creativity gets in touch with the deepest core of his personality, taking viewers on a tour through those castles in the air that he builds. Indeed, art is an intimate affair. And what better way to connect two human spirits than through allowing the viewer to be privy to the artists’ most personal thoughts and emotions than through Abstract art. Fret not, there are no pitch black dungeons with flaming dragons, for Rod Jones is clothed in kindness and keeps his art fleshed of an almost child-like purity. Unlike the hell-like scapes depicted by artists driven by their mental illnesses or depression, Rod Jones’ abstract works, though non-objective, remain fairly rooted in sanity and verity. The transparency of his art only reveals the randomness of his encounters in life, moments of personal growth when Jones find himself slipping into self-reflection. As painting after painting rolls out in front of viewers, there lies a performance of progression; the emotional dance Jones has with his philosophical thoughts.

“Art is an emotional communication”, the hat-tipping artist asserts himself. Viewers are encouraged to listen to their brains – the center of ourselves where feelings generate from. Look with your eyes, feel with your heart, but listen with your brain, for that is where receptiveness is demanded for the art journey to start. A painting can take you far, but it only goes as far as the viewer allows it to. A conversation can never start without the presence of two parties. In this case, an open mind is required of the viewer in order for Jones’ paintings to be what they are – unique Receptive Abstract Patternism works. Otherwise, they will just be like any other abstract patterns. With regards to the hat-tipping, Rod Jones’ humility begets empathy. His works require as much effort, the sharing of his thinking process it is, from the viewers themselves as the artist had invested into the works.

Fortunately, for the unimaginative or self-proclaimed souls out there who lack creativity or a keen eye for semblances of reality, you need not fear. Rod Jones ensures that each and every one of his paintings, which he treats like his precious and individualized children, are introduced with lengthy write-ups describing what they are about. Since they are non-representational works, viewers would not need to wreck their brains to find the real-life images within the patterns. Rather, the appreciation of his works are whole experiences, packages of visual shapes, bold colors, clear-cut lines and the respective informative captions, all of which leave viewers with the choice to embellish the artistic concepts presented to them with their own opinions freely. If you would, sharing your personal take on his pieces is not only welcomed with open arms but encouraged by the humble artist. Unsurprisingly, the movement titled “Receptive Abstract Patternism” was coined by his 17-year-old daughter, as Rod Jones unabashedly admitted. The old saying ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ is apt to recall here; Jones’ open-minded character produced the art movement that requires equal receptiveness in part of the viewer. As an artwork is the window from the artist’s to the viewers’ souls, the artist first has to have a praise-worthy soul, an important element as a foundation to anyone’s success.

Rod Jones’ artistic process echoes a concern of most abstract painters that art has become too planned, too rigid, too counterintuitively rooted into dogmatic rules. His works may appear to be ironically technical in their use of raw and unprocessed subject matter, shapes, forms and colours. However, many abstract art movements, such as Abstract Expressionism and in this case notably Receptive Abstract Patternism, anchor their beginnings into a tabula rasa (or blank slate). The process of producing the painting does not start off with a plan, a specific concept, a title or a date of event. There is no “Eureka” blast that starts off masterpieces like a spark of inspiration. Very much like the journey itself, Jones is prompted by his own intuition, the inspiration so mild and gentle that it is not recognizable. Nature nudges these creatives, in ways the abstract artists themselves cannot specify. But to Rod Jones at the very least, it is this very improvised, unpredictable and flow-like nature that fuels the joy in his artistic identity.

When approaching his works, do not ever miss out on the rich content of his captions. Rod Jones’ works proudly fit the educational aims of certain ancient art movements that were bent on reflecting reality. As though attempting to bridge the unharmonious gap between the self-absorbed and highly emotional abstract paintings of Abstraction-based artists and the commercialized, documentary or historically educational artworks of Representational Art, Rod Jones often includes remarkable and informational knowledge in his works. In “Rosetta Window”, “Unwitting Wildwood” or the most recent “Jardin des Tuileries”, for instance, viewers learn about inconspicuous and often overlooked facts through the magnifying glass Jones has placed on these types of information: an architectural part, a tourist attraction and the field of study, dendrology. His works are hence also almost like a thesaurus, introducing viewers to insignificant but beautiful things in this world and reminds us to remain in awe of the littlest wonders in this big universe. Keeping up to date with his latest works would then be equivalent to receiving paced, palatable and bite-sized fun facts, keeping viewers thirsty, hungry and suspended in anticipation of what Jones has to offer us next.

So, if you ever feel like being taken on a trip around the palace of Rod Jones’ mind, what are you waiting for? Typically consisting of a few main primary, secondary and/or tertiary colors, expect ample repetition of dots, dabs and basic shapes in his concoction of rigid lines, smooth strokes and asymmetrical balance. With what resembles a cropped composition, perhaps Jones’ paintings take on a style that retains influence from his past role as a commercial advertising photographer. Whether or not such connections are true is up to the viewers, you, to analyze. While the visuals are laid out flatly for you to see, and the captions guide you to the artists’ soul, the rest of the story is often left open to the viewers’ creative interpretations. A promising leader of modern abstraction, there is still much growing potential in Reception Abstract Patternism. Will it be the genre that finally allows all from all walks of life, including even critics, to be able to easily appreciate abstraction? Jump into the bandwagon with Rod Jones through social media such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram (@rodjonesartist) where he posts his regular updates, or understand more from his website through this link, https://rodjonesartist.com today.

Cold on the outside but warm in its embrace, Receptive Abstract Patternism with its inseparable hat-tipping soul guarantees that never again will we see abstract art in an unreachable kind of way.

For additional information or to schedule an interview contact:

Rod Jones Artist – Contact – click here 

Studio Manager – Angelica Jones – Contact – click here