“Proving that post-minimalists too can have soul is painter Mitch Jones. The human factor in Jones’ abstract Rhyme and Rhythm paintings emanates from the collage elements that he resurrects and re-contextualizes: handwritten sheets from old ledger books, newspaper articles, and illustrated pages from ancient books with steel engravings. He cuts these faded documents so that they become illegible, or rotates them and pastes them into strips suggesting handwriting, or into columns, alternating the monochrome elements with blocks of pure oil paint, which Jones likens to doors or windows, citing the traditional metaphors for pictorial space. From a distance, we read the works as abstractions, or mysteriously coded data; up close, we discern that these “dynamic visual symphonies,” to use the artist-musician’s words, are built of scraps of human history."
About Mitch Jones
Mitch Jones grew up in the beach towns south of Los Angeles, known as the South Bay, where he immersed himself in typical beach activities like surfing, swimming, and boogie boarding. Spending his youth day in and day out at the beach provided him with an incredible sense of freedom and opened the world for him to explore. The beach became the first place that influenced his visual creative thought process and later contributed to his artistic development. The ocean, with its horizontal lines created by waves, and the horizon line became elements he observed daily, shaping the initial template for his work.
During his teens, he picked up the guitar, and it was then that he discovered a connection between the shapes and patterns in music and their relationship to those found in nature. This realization had a profound impact on him and became an integral part of his artistic DNA.
As a young adult, after moving to Arizona, he worked for a couple of art galleries and a renowned interior designer. This experience exposed him to a variety of art, as well as textiles, fabrics, rugs, and tapestries, often filled with vibrant colors, patterns and stories, which fascinated and inspired him. Shortly thereafter he started collecting old documents, ledgers, journals, and maps. Incredible found material with diverse informative content which became the foundation for his first collage paintings and served as visual metaphors, adding hidden meaning that developed into stories of their own.
The use of old papers and documents is a means to visually drive home repeated themes and remind us that the future contains the past.
In his current series the compositions consist of color blocking along with mixed media incorporating fabrics and textiles. Throughout his artistic journey, he has consistently viewed his works as woven documents and testaments to his personal exploration and growth.
We are often a society that does not seem to look far beyond the surface of things. He wants his art to speak to that.
Mitch is currently working in his Los Angeles Studio!
Exhibition Highlights and Artistic Milestones
Selected Shows
2024
(Opening November 6, 2024), Two Person Show (TBA)
2022
“Mitch Jones and Ned Evans, Merge”, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco
2017
“Mitch Jones and Julian Voss Andreae”, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco
2013
“Word Perfect”, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco
“Mitch Jones, New Work”, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco
“On The Edge”, Cheryl Hazan Gallery, New York
“Mitch Jones, Documentum, New Work”, Costello Childs Gallery, Scottsdale 2011 “Spring Show”, Costello Childs Gallery, Scottsdale
2010
“What”, Group Show, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, Curator, Danielle Steel, San Francisco
“Recent Works”, Group Show, Gebert Gallery, Scottsdale
2009
“Local”, Group Show, Gebert Gallery, Scottsdale
“Word”, Group Show, Andrea Schwartz Curator, Danielle Steel, San Francisco
“Mitch Jones Paintings”, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco (February)
2007
Three Person Show, Costello Childs Gallery, Scottsdale
Two Person show, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco
2006
Two Person Show, Steel Gallery, San Francisco
Costello Childs Gallery, Phoenix
2005
“Summer Reading”, Steel Gallery, San Francisco
Commission of Six Paintings, Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas
Parogone Gallery, Los Angeles
2004
“Black and White”, 13th Annual National Exhibition, Tampa
“Less”, Trudy Labell Fine Art, Naples
“Summer Reading”, Steel Gallery, San Francisco
Paragone Gallery, Los Angeles
Museum Exhibitions
2009
Monterey Museum of Art, “50/Fifty, 50 Gifts for the Next Fifty Years” March 28-June 21
2003
Palm Springs Desert Museum, “34th Annual National Juried Exhibition”
2002
Holter Museum of Art, National Juried Exhibition, “ANA 31”
Palm Springs Desert Museum, 33rd Annual National Juried Exhibition, “Journeys in Light and Color”
Museum Collections
The Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey California
The Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, California
Corporate And Public Collections
(Partial List)
Visa Corporation, San Francisco
Neiman Marcus, Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Dallas
The Mandarin Hotel, San Francisco
Four Seasons Hotel, Jackson Hole
Bloomingdale's, New York City
Bloomingdale's, South Coast Plaza, Irvine
Bloomingdale's, San Francisco
Sheraton Hotel, Phoenix
Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas
Bellagio Resorts, Las Vegas
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View
Eden Medical Center, Castro Valley
Fidelity Investments, Scottsdale
Merrill & Associates, Honolulu
Sun Cal Corporation, Irvine
Chas. Dunn Real Estate, Inc., Los Angeles
RTS Wealth Management, Phoenix
Sotheby’s Real Estate, Scottsdale
Richard Love & Associates, Century City
Roxbury Capital Management, Santa Monica
Simmons Insurance, Scottsdale
Richard Love & Associates, Warrior, AL
Selected Private Collections
(Partial List)
Ms. Danielle Steel, San Francisco, Paris
Mr. George Benson, Maui
Annette Broatch, Paradise Valley, Coronado
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Conti
Ms. Helen Rogers, New York
Mr. and Mrs. John Vatistas, Phoenix
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nicholas, Paradise Valley, Lake Geneva, La Jolla
Mr. and Mrs. Don Meyers, Paradise Valley
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Alpert, Paradise Valley
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Murphy, Paradise Valley
Mr. and Mrs. John Harris, Paradise Valley, La Jolla
Ms. Dorothee Cohen, Scottsdale
Mr. and Mrs. Rick Cooper, Paradise Valley
Mr. and Mrs. Verde Dickey, Paradise Valley
Mr. Ken Dickey, Phoenix
Mr. Patrick Lee, Bel Air
Mr. Jim Sweeny, Los Angeles
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Weis, Scottsdale
Dr. and Mrs. Edward Katz, Scottsdale
Mr. and Mrs. Bart Kaufman, Paradise Valley
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sperling, San Francisco, Montecito
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Butterfield, Paradise Valley
Dr. and Mrs. Jack Friedland, Paradise Valley
Mr. and Mrs. Andy Kroot, Paradise Valley
Dr. and Mrs. Albert Latter, Pacific Palisades Ann Wharton, San Francisco
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Turoff, Scottsdale
Mr. and Mrs. William Snyder, Paradise Valley
Publications
Clarkson Potter Publishers, “Expect A Miracle, Quotations to Live and Love
By”, Danielle Steel, 2020 (Quoted directly from painting inscription)
Critics Pick, Art LTD, May 2013
Tribeca Trib, “On the Edge”, 2013, Reviewed by April Koral
Artslant, “Word”, August, 2009, Reviewed by Kristi Beardshear, Featuring Mitch Jones
Phoenix Home & Garden, December, 2008, “Architectural Legacy”
Antoine Predock House, (featured painting)
Arizona Valley Chronicle, Feature article, “Mitch Jones, A Glimpse into The Past, Aged Documents Bring History to New Artwork”, Wendy Miller, November 2007
Santa Fean Magazine, Featured on Cover, May 2001
Visions Art Quarterly, “Showcase”, Reviewed By Janet Ehrenworth,1993
Paintings featured in many Interior Design Magazines and books