Posted 12:59 am Monday, October 25, 2010
Education In Action: TJC Art Professor Has An Eye For The Odd
By EMILY GUEVARA
Staff Writer
The painting is at once hilarious and a piece of reality: An old man in a blue jumpsuit rides a red lawnmower through his yard with a pipe in his mouth and an anchor tattoo on his arm. A rabbit gazes up from the corner of the image.
Staff Writer
The painting is at once hilarious and a piece of reality: An old man in a blue jumpsuit rides a red lawnmower through his yard with a pipe in his mouth and an anchor tattoo on his arm. A rabbit gazes up from the corner of the image.
Artist Paul Jones said the idea came to him as he thought about all the things the older population gets to enjoy and the younger population has to wait for -- things such as jumpsuits and recliners that help people get up, for example.
"I'm always thinking strange things," the 42-year-old said.
Jones joined Tyler Junior College as a full-time professor this fall.
The DeSoto native attended TJC as a student in 1989 and has taught art at local schools, both private and public, grade school and college level.
A collection of his art work is on display through Nov. 19 at TJC's Wise Auditorium Art Gallery.
"Most people hopefully get the humor part of (my work)," he said. "They're all kind of goofy and fun."
"Goofy and fun" might be the best way to describe Jones and his work.
He said he always has enjoyed drawing.
As a child, he often copied the images found in cartoons and comic books.
As a child, he often copied the images found in cartoons and comic books.
It wasn't until college, though, that he decided to pursue art and teaching as a career.
He was in a pottery class at a Dallas County Community College and his professor walked into the room shirtless and covered in mud. He immediately started ripping into his students.
"I looked at him and thought, 'Wow, I think I can do that job,'" Jones said with a laugh.
Jones went on to earn a bachelor of fine arts from The University of Texas at Tyler, specializing in painting and drawing. He also earned a master of fine arts from the University of North Texas.
His work is outside the box, to say the least.
One of his works features an electric wizard, which he said was inspired by the custom vans from the 1970s, the ones with paintings on the side.
One of his works features an electric wizard, which he said was inspired by the custom vans from the 1970s, the ones with paintings on the side.
Another piece includes a wizard playing guitar with goat hooves for hands. Jones said he decided to draw the goat hooves because it made for a stranger piece of artwork and hands are more difficult to draw.
"It looks creepier, and it solves a problem," he said.
Jones said people get the humor in his work most of the time. However, there are those who miss the point and just think he's insane or worse.
He said he seldom tries to communicate a particular message with his art. Rather, he just paints or draws what he observes, and it often is humorous in nature.
TJC art professor Derrick White said Jones' fun personality and love for art are his strengths.
"In his artwork especially, he brings a real spontaneity to the way he creates these powerful but fun images," White said. "He can capture it very, very quickly."
For the past eight years, Jones taught at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins and, before that, he taught at East Texas Christian Academy. Now he finds himself at TJC full time, teaching art appreciation as well as Drawing I and II.
He said the fun part of his job is imparting a love for art to other people.
"When you ignite that passion in somebody else, it's pretty cool," he said.
Many of the students he teaches haven't drawn since junior high. So his work involves teaching them how to see things differently -- how to start drawing the general before the specific.
He said it is great to have an art faculty to work with because the people around him share his passion for art. His students produce great work as well.
"You keep seeing all of this new fresh stuff, and it keeps you motivated and inspired all the time," he said.
Jones is married to Sandra, an instructional specialist at a Tyler elementary school. They have two kids, a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old, both of whom enjoy art.
Jones said his life is great at this point.
"It's kind of a dream come true," he said about living in Tyler and teaching at TJC. "This is really where I wanted to be."
"It's kind of a dream come true," he said about living in Tyler and teaching at TJC. "This is really where I wanted to be."
Jones' exhibit "You and Me, Dolphin" is on display from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays until Nov. 19 at the Wise Auditorium Art Gallery on the TJC campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public. An artist talk and reception will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18.
