Mary Jones

The Blue Nothing
photopolymer intaglio, acrylic, collage
18 x 24 in.

I make maps of the wilderness of personal histories. Images and words are layered out of time and perspective; Where and when are subjective. Unlike traditional maps, mine are populated. Space is delineated by the inhabitants, the who in the journeys being told. These personas are a combination of what I have seen with what I have imagined about encounters with people, places, and things. Details get piled on in the way that life is lived– in steps, notes, beats, breaths, and marks.

The raw materials for my work come from rambling walks punctuated by stops to draw, write, and take photos. Ephemera is also collected on location. Whether drawing or working in print media, collage is always an element. Photoshop is frequently a part of my workflow. Trained as a printmaker, I am a scavenger of technologies, old and new.
Prior to moving to the Des Moines area I worked as an illustrator and designer in Chicago, IL, with work published by the Chicago Tribune, Playboy Magazine, and the Philadelphia Enquirer, among other publications. I have illustrated four books for children. For the past 17 years, I taught art and design at Grand View University in Des Moines.

© Mary Jones