Crimson Fog by Gord Jones

This painting by Gord Jones captured my attention after it appeared on The Portrait's Facebook page.

Gord takes us to a day when nature hangs in a balance.

Follow me and you will see what I mean.  There is a soft fog which hangs in the background.. The white cerulean blue sky, softly melds into the background hills and with the line of  line of forest which horizontally reaches  into the middle of the work. The tonal mid values of the crimson forest then drops down to what appears to be a broad expanse of reeds and the slightly blurred background  gives way to the more clearly defined woods and pine tree on the left.

As we move towards the foreground we find some strong contrasting values. The darkness of the tree and the dark blue ice contrasts strikingly with the white snow, and the soft edges contrast with the hard edges and sharp angles of the snow banks.

There is also a delightful sense of motion as the viewer takes a playful, meandering journey which is punctuated by snowbanks and drifts.

This is a good example of how a minimal palette of what appears to be muted sap green, raw sienna, possibly yellow ochre, variant blue hues and a touch of crimson is enough to do the job. Anything more would be distractive.

Notice how Gord uses a vertical drift of wind borne snow which points towards the middle of his painting to create a sense of distance and direction.

Its all so perfectly done.  This is one of a winter series of paintings found on Gord's website. Please click here.

Artist's Comments

My source for all my work is either a photo I took myself, or a plein air session. This painting was from a photo. I'm attracted to the natural landscapes of the Haliburton area where I've cottaged for many years. Winter, is probably my most inspirational season.  I like contrast, and the quiet solitude of winter is attractive to me in comparison to the busy summer vacation time.

I  don't really know what else to add except that I am pleased to know that this painting seems to have connected with another artist (you). I appreciate that.

Gord Jones Captures the Beauty of Haliburton in Waters

I was looking at Gord Jones’ works online, and was stirred by his mastery of watercolour, and by his love of landscape painting. Gord divides his time between his two residences: one in Stoney Creek, Ontario and the other in beautiful Haliburton, Ontario.

While Gord brings to his craft more than 30 years of experience - he confesses to being somewhat inconsistent over the years and painting more "off than on".

Gord is employed by the Hamilton Separate School Board, and he's been married for 25 years and has one son in university.

Gord remembers enjoying drawing pictures and comic book characters during his childhood. That was when he first recognized his artistic skills.

Gord calls himself a workshop junkie, but there's much more to it than that. Gord is a lifelong student of the craft. He's studied at the Dundas Valley School of Art and he's taken dozens of workshops. Like many other artists, he's an avid reader of art books and magazines. His love of studying art has given him a profound recognition of those who have contributed to his development. People such William Biddle with his remarkable “ability to "set up" a composition as well as draw anything, in any perspective, from any angle, all out of his head." Not to mention artists such as Gordon Perrier, Katherine MacDonald, Stan Hughes, John Wilkinson, Bonnie Steinberg, and Barry Coombs.

"Early on I took a workshop with Brian Atyeo who painted watercolour more expressively than I had experienced before. I met and painted in the beautiful Killarney Provincial Park with a wonderful plein air painter Jane Champagne. More recently, well known and respected artists and instructors, Doug Mays and Art Cunanan have been instrumental in recharging me and encouraging more individual expressiveness in my efforts."

I am impressed with how Gord has reciprocated this love, by giving back to the community. He's a member of the Haliburton Arts Council and his paintings hang in the ‘Made in Haliburton’ Gallery, in downtown Minden.'

When Gord looks towards the future, his wish is to spend less time behind the wheel driving between Haliburton and Stoney Creek and more time behind his brush.

Gord is rather philosophical when he says that art sharpens his senses to what is visually out there in the natural world and his interest allows him to appreciate other’s work in a more informed way. Gord sums it up by saying that “it’s all about communication, whether it be in music, literature, theatre or the visual arts." Gordon's paintings speak eloquently for themselves.

To view Gord's paintings on his website, please click here.