LEWIS JONES Biography

Lewis Jones has been a presence in the Eastern Sierra art world for over fifteen years. He first discovered scratchboard some thirty-five years ago while working for the California Fish & Game Department. It was love at first scratch. While he liked the detail, he wanted color, and on his search for the method to apply color he was told it wasn't done in color and could not be done in color. This did not stop Lewis from seeking out the method of color application he so greatly desired to infuse into his scratchboard originals. It all came together when he started working for the East Bay Regional Park District, in the Bay Area. It was there that he happened across the airbrush, and the rest of the story is seen in his work. He works very closely with his wife, Bonnie, who creates the outstanding matting, framing and etched glass components of his finished work. * ABOUT SCRATCHBOARD AND LEWIS JONES' APPROACH: Scratchboard illustrations were once used in advertising before the advent of photography. Today, there are only a handful of scratchboard artists left, and all of them, like Lewis, had to develop their own techniques through years of trial and error. Lewis starts with doing a very detailed drawing of the piece before applying and ink to the board. The drawing is then transferred to the board with graphite paper, and a mask is cut for the subject. At this point, the colors are applied to the subject in layers. After this, the mask is removed and the background is applied. All color application is done with an airbrush. After the layers are applied and the background is done, the work of scratching is begun. The picture is actually scratched out from the layers, removing the unwanted color and going to the color desired - a very time- and concentration-consuming effort. The colors vary, a tree, a feather, the sky, rocks, etc. To reveal white all the color is removed and the white board itself shows through. Once a scratch mark is made it is permanent. It cannot be removed or covered up. There is no room for mistakes Lewis Jones has been displaying his work over the past twenty-five years in galleries and at art shows throughout the west. He has won many awards throughout the years and sold work to art patrons not only from the Western United States, but Nationally and internationally including Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and Pitcairn Island. His awards include (to name but a few):   Best of Show, Mammoth Lakes Labor Day Art Festival, Mammoth Lakes, California   Best of Show, Arrowhead Rotary Art Show, Lake Arrowhead, California   Best of Show, Strawberry Festival Oxnard, California   Best of Show, Ellensburg, Washington

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