“Painting Joy”, Orvel A. Jones solo exhibit will be from July 22 – August 16 with an opening reception Saturday, July 22 from 4 – 7 pm at the Buenaventura Gallery.
To see an Orvel A. Jones painting is to share in his joy of painting: his energetic brushstrokes along with his keen observation of nature infuse the viewer with a deep appreciation of his subjects. Born in San Diego and raised in California, Orvel finds that the energy and light of our beautiful state contribute to a quality of plein air painting that is quite unique to California. Orvel gives “credit to God for his direction. The two words ‘Paint Joy’ have a lot of meaning to me and I can only hope that this collection of paintings will stir the emotions of joy in others.
Jones received his B.A. in Fine Art from the California State University, Northridge and a Masters from California Lutheran University. His studies under the guidance of Hans Burkhardt helped to develop a passion for expressing his emotions with bold brushwork and a loose, impressionistic style. Early works were quite contemporary and abstract that garnered numerous first place awards in the Forum of the Arts, Buenaventura Art Association and the Olivia Hathaway competitions for Ventura County.
Jones taught elementary school for years before he became an administrator. He participated in a teacher exchange program that was part of the Fulbright scholarship program: his assignment took place New Zealand. The countryside in New Zealand provided Jones with many plein air opportunities in addition to teaching.
His work has been exhibited at the Rose gallery, E.P. foster Library and Wright Library, in Ventura California. One man shows include the Fine Arts Gallery at California State University, Northridge, La Mirada Exposition, and a sell-out show at the Rayburn house Gallery in Whangari New Zealand.
While he tends to favor California Landscapes his travels help him to develop paintings from sketches and photos from these trips. Over 40 years of experience with various mediums has helped to perfect his ability to play with the effects of light, shadow, color and texture to evoke an emotional response from his paintings.
Orvel particularly enjoys painting en plein air and feels that some of his quick location paintings are among his best works. He prefers the rough, spontaneous approach to his paintings with further refinement happening in his home studio.
"My loving family, God, good friends, a glass of fine wine, and painting come first in my life. I truly hope that a collector of my paintings can have the privilege of feeling and enjoying, not just the visual effects, but the warm emotions of a lifetime commitment to PAINTING JOY.
The Buenaventura Gallery is located at 700 E Santa Clara St. in downtown Ventura. Hours are Tues – Friday from noon – 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm. For more information, visit their website at www.BuenaventuraGallery.org.