Wayson R. Jones is an American artist predominantly known for his textured abstract paintings. He resides in Mount Rainier, Maryland, a suburb of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Education

Jones is a 1980 graduate from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Awards

Jones is a 2017 grant-award winner from the

Prince Georges County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

Arts and Humanities Council.

Exhibitions

Solo shows

*2013 ''Recent Paintings,'' Bloombars, Washington, D.C. *2014 ''Black President and Other,'' BlackRock Center for the Arts,

Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore ...

*2014 ''Moons in Mountains,'' Joe's Movement Emporium, Mount Rainier, Maryland *2015 ''Jewels Stone Tower Gallery'',

Glen Echo, Maryland Glen Echo is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, that was chartered in 1904. The population was 255 at the 2010 census. History Glen Echo derives its name from the name of the lots developed by Edward, and Edwin Baltzley, * * * ...

*2015 ''Visages/Vignettes,'' Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel, Maryland *2016 ''In Black and White Arts'', Harmony Hall, Fort Washington, Maryland *2016 ''Throw Your Hands Up'',

Unitarian Universalist Church Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

of Arlington,

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

*2017 ''Memory, Mostly Self'',

NVCC Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC; informally known as NOVA) is a public community college composed of six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Northern Virginia Community College is the third-l ...

Fischer Gallery,

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

*2019 District of Columbia Art Center, Washington, DC

Reviews

In 2016, ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' wrote that "Wayson R. Jones' "Black President" (2012), an abstract portrait on canvas incorporating powdered graphite, acrylic medium and gesso that seems to bristle with conflict, internal and external." Also in 2016, in a group show review, ''The Washington Post'' highlighted the fact that "One of the starkest and most striking contributions is Wayson R. Jones’s near-abstract “Giant Angry Stars,” rendered in grainy black-and-white." In a 2017 review, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

noted that the "Jones makes art that's raw and unexpected." In an interview in East City Art, the artist stated that he started "making visual art when I was 50, ten years ago, but I’ve been involved in the arts since I was a kid. I played music from grade school through college, where I also was in an improv dance company for a couple of years. I was in the DC downtown arts scene in the 80s and early 90s as part of an active Black LGBT arts scene that had national prominence, doing spoken word and music..." In 2019, Jones started working in color again.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Wayson R. 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters African-American contemporary artists American contemporary artists American contemporary painters American male painters Artists from Washington, D.C. Artists from Maryland Living people Modern painters University of Maryland, College Park alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century African-American painters 21st-century African-American artists People from Mount Rainier, Maryland 20th-century American male artists