~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s my 3rd painting in the Universe Series, and the 5th in the Colorful Contemporary Series of paintings that I’ve been experimenting with, titled ‘My Original Artwork ~ Universe #3 (16″ x 20″).’  I changed up the color palette a bit for this composition, using two shades of blue, green and white to make this colorful splash of an impression of the universe.

I’m enjoying this new direction of colorful discovery and creativity in my artwork, and one never knows what’s around the next corner ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Universe #3 (16″ x 20″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve completed my 2nd painting in the Universe Series, and the 4th in my Colorful Contemporary Series of paintings which I call ‘My Original Artwork ~ Universe #2 (16″ x 20″).

My Universe Series is an attempt to create an impression of the universe through color. I’ve been able to advance the techniques I discovered in Universe #1, and used a theme of red, blue and white for this portrayal of the heavens.

This Contemporary Series of paintings has been a fun and creative process for me to take my art in new directions, and I look forward to continuing my experiments with color ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Universe #2 (16″ x 20″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve finished my most recent painting titled ‘My Original Artwork ~ Universe #1 (16″ x 20″)’ which is the third in my colorful contemporary series of paintings.  I’ve always wanted to paint something like this, and I’m amazed at the colors and details when viewing this painting closely.

I’ve only used the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow, along with white, as the basis for this painting, and all the many colors on this canvas stem from these three colors blending with each other and with white.  Many of the circles of paint in this composition are the blended colors of many hues, and the canvas is littered with smaller dots of ‘stars’ the closer you look.  I’ll continue this type of painting now that I know the technique, and try to control the size and distribution of colors in a second colorful portrayal of the universe ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Universe #1 (16″ x 20″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my latest acrylic painting on canvas called ‘My Original Artwork ~ A Tree of Many Colors (16″ x 20″), and the second in my colorful contemporary series of paintings.  I’m very pleased with how this painting turned out, as it’s even better than how I first imagined it would be.  I kept the tree and lawn background rather simple to not take away from the focus on the leaves, while allowing the sky to have subtle ‘cloud like’ variations flowing within it.

My intention was to have each section of leaves represent a different color, and deliberately kept the darker portions lower and closer to the main tree trunk, while keeping the lightest pastel colors around the edges representing the brighter reflections of sunlight around the outside.  The original initial inspiration for this painting came to me while I was studying images of color wheels, and thinking of ways to portray color wheels differently.  In the end I decided that the color wheel concept was too rigid and academic for my intentions – so I came up with this tree of many colors instead ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ A Tree of Many Colors (16″ x 20″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s my latest acrylic-on-stretched-canvas painting called ‘My Original Artwork ~ Ocean Sunset (16″ x 20″),’ a contemporary take on the subject.  This is the first of a series of five contemporary style paintings I’ve decided to create, based solely on the reason that I have lots of bright acrylic colors that seldom get used in my traditional color schemes.  Plus, it’s a way for me to deliberately try new things and go in new directions with my artwork.  I plan for each one of these contemporary paintings to be completely different and unique, each time taking me to a place I’ve never visited before ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Ocean Sunset (16″ x 20″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve completed my latest acrylic on canvas painting that I call ‘My Original Artwork ~ St. Michael’s Mount (18″ x 36″)’ – a foggy oceanside view of the famous island castle off the shore of Cornwall, U.K.  The level of detail in this composition was a challenge to complete, but I’m satisfied with the outcome and it was worth the effort ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ St. Michael’s Mount (18″ x 36″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my latest acrylic on canvas painting, which I call ‘My Original Artwork ~ San Francisco (18″ x 36″)’ and I’m pleased with the result. The Golden Gate Bridge turned out to be very difficult to replicate with its many cables, but I ended up using pencil with layers of acrylic watercolor wash over the graphite to ‘set’ the cables in place.

I’ve often desired to be a watercolor artist in the past, but had no training or experience in the watercolor technique, and no formal artwork training at all ~ and here in my acrylic paintings I’ve experimented and expanded my techniques to use watercolor washes, and ended up reaching my long sought goal in a roundabout way ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ San Francisco (18″ x 36″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve completed my latest painting, which I call ‘My Original Artwork ~ Windowpane Moonlight’ (18″ x 24″), and I’m pleased that the finished product captures my imagination from when I first thought of painting the Moon and Milky Way.

What was new to me, was the fact that this painting offered me the perspective of looking out at the night sky through a windowpane, as it has a border that reminds me of the condensation around a single-pane window in the wintertime ~ despite the fact that the image of the Moon and Milky Way are enlarged and zoomed in on in the painting.

I enjoy seeing photographs of the universe showing the wondrous beauty of the planets, solar systems and galaxies of deep space, so I’m sure this won’t be my last attempt of painting the universe ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Windowpane Moonlight (18″ x 24″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve finished my most recent painting that I call ‘Wildflower Sunset’ (18″ x 24″), and enjoy the fact that I’m taking my painting in new directions.  This piece was a joy to paint with its happy colors and flowers, and I’m sure I’ll be attempting more flower paintings in the future! 🙂 The tall blue flowers are Wild Blue Chicory (Cichorium intybus), along with Daisies, a single Fire Pink Silene virginica, Dandelions and at the bottom False Rue Anemone (Enomion biternatum) as ground cover.

My next painting is going to be of a night sky with a full moon and the Milky Way Galaxy.  I like the concept of painting whatever comes to mind ~ especially themes I haven’t painted before ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Wildflower Sunset (18″ x 24″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve completed My Original Artwork ~ A Medieval Fair (18″ x 24″), and am pleased with how the result reflects the original idea I had when starting this painting.  I like how the jousting tournament and tents in the foreground stand out in a colorful array, while the castle and mountain landscape are softer and muted in contrast.  I also managed to paint in a cast of villagers and townspeople watching the tournament, which was a first for me.

Each new painting is a challenge and an adventure for me, as I attempt to discover and incorporate new techniques and push the limits of what I’ve been able to do previously. My next piece will be of a field of wildflowers, using some of the softer and more muted techniques I incorporated into ‘A Medieval Fair’ ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ A Medieval Fair (18″ x 24″)

(Copyright 2017, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I finished My Original Artwork ~ Castle Hamlet (18″ x 24″) before the year was over, as this was my final painting for 2016.  I’m pleased with the results and the process of learning new techniques along the way during the course of painting this piece.  It’s also another addition to my Cottage Series of paintings ~ one of my favorite subject areas, along with castles.

I had wanted to add villagers to this painting, but once I took a good look it wasn’t suitable for the composition, so I’ll work townspeople into my next painting from the very beginning.  Speaking of castles, villagers and townspeople, I’ve started researching my next painting which I’ll call ‘A Medieval Fair’ ~ so stay tuned! 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Castle Hamlet (18″ x 24″)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

The other night I decided to photograph my artwork in my study, and liked the effect the light had in bringing out each of my painting’s details.  It’s been a fun artistic adventure for me over the last two years ~ along with the early beginnings of my painting aspirations, some 37 years ago.  My photo efforts fall short of the clarity I’d like to see in many of these snapshots, and someday I aim to have professional photographs taken of my work to sell as prints ~ but for now, it’s another step down the road towards my artistic dreams ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~

My Original Artwork ~ Alpine Hamlet (11″ x 14″)

I’ve finally completed My Original Artwork ~ Alpine Hamlet (11″ x 14″) acrylic on canvas painting.  I modeled the mountain backdrop after Austria’s Sonnenspitze mountain, and created an imaginary, idyllic Alpine Hamlet for the foreground.  I really do enjoy painting wintertime scenes, especially fir trees covered in snow ~ and this painting was fun and challenging for me to do!

With each new painting I try to branch out and explore new scenes and techniques, trying things I haven’t attempted before ~ and I’m having fun doing it ~ enjoy! 🙂

My Original Artwork ~ Alpine Hamlet (11″ x 14″)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

My Original Artwork ~ Salzburg, Österreich or Salzburg, Austria

I’m happy to say I’ve completed my Original Artwork ~ Salzburg, Österreich or Salzburg, Austria (11″ x 14″), which was my most challenging painting to date, as the famous historical setting requires good attention to detail.  I was able to use a little artistic license and decorate the riverfront with a touch of Christmas decorations though, including: wreaths on the bridge, red bows on the street lamps, and a central Christmas tree.

I have one more blank 11″ x 14″ canvas remaining, and haven’t decided yet what the subject will be, but afterwards I’ll stay with larger 18″ x 36″ canvasses for city profiles.  I like the concept of including the name of the city on the painting, as it derives from sketches I drew with a similar format while on my solo bicycle adventure to England, Scotland, Wales and France back in 1979 ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

‘Salzburg, Österreich’ ~ (11″ x 14″)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my latest acrylic on canvas painting titled ‘Leaves’ (11″ x 14″) 2016, which is a continuation of the natural theme I began with ‘Four Seasons’ in my previous work.  I love exploring colors and techniques, and each one of my paintings takes me something new and different.  This painting took some time to complete, as the past two months I’ve been busy landscaping the back yard – and my next ‘painting’ will be finishing painting the outside of our home – so it’ll be a while before I tackle a new acrylic painting, but I’ll eventually begin a new one.  Enjoy! ☼ 🙂

‘Leaves’ (2016)

Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my latest acrylic painting which I call ‘Four Seasons’ (11″ x 14″) 2016, exploring a different technique for me that combines both contemporary and folk art.  It was a different mindset for me to create four individual panels within a single painting, each depicting a season of the year – essentially a year at a glance – but I like both the process and the result.  I think I’ll continue exploring this new technique and see where it leads me! ☼ 🙂

‘Four Seasons’ (2016)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my finished acrylic portrait of ‘Sam the Tugboat & Friends’ (11″ x 14″) 2016, the principle characters in my original stories called ‘The Adventures of Sam the Tugboat.’  I never previously thought I had the talent to bring my cartoon characters to life, but now that I’ve finished Sam’s portrait along with his many friends, I think I’ve come close to capturing the essence of my stories! 🙂

Sam’s expressions, posture, hat and smokestack are his signature elements for future illustrations – with his sea captain’s hats changing with the weather, his smokestack sporting a different design each time, and his sense of urgency while rescuing his friends at sea painting a true portrait of who Sam really is!

Sam lives and works in the idyllic coastal community of Beach Harbor, and along with his right hand man Fred who manages the marina and takes care of Sam – they help keep ships moving in and out of The Port of Beach Harbor, while at the same time ensuring the safety of Sam’s many friends out on the ocean!  Here’s the link to ‘The Adventures of Sam the Tugboat’ http://samthetugboat.com/

‘Sam the Tugboat & Friends’ (2016)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my latest completed painting called ‘Paris’ (11″ x 14″) acrylic on canvas, and every piece of artwork I attempt and complete provides new challenges to me to find a way to overcome.  In this case, it was the details of the Eiffel Tower that I had to find a way to duplicate in paint, and I’m happy with the overall effect.  The concept here is the Eiffel Tower is the ‘I’ of the phrase ‘I Love Paris’ or ‘I ♥Paris’ ~ as Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’ve visited four times over the years!  Enjoy!

‘Paris’ (2016)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s my latest painting which I call ‘Castle Cottage’ (11″ x 14″), the sixth painting in my ‘Cottage Series’ of acrylic paintings.  I enjoy bringing an idea to completion on canvas, and each painting challenges me anew to figure out a way to bring the concept to life. I’m particularly fond of cottages and the process of imagining each one from a fresh theme and perspective, so I’m sure I’ll never run out of cottage ideas to paint:

‘Castle Cottage’ (2016)

(Copyright 2016, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

This is my most recent painting that I call ‘Wood Cottage’ (11″ x 14″) which I just completed today, and the fifth painting in my ‘Cottage Series’ of acrylic paintings.  I wanted this painting to be very whimsical, as whimsy is a favorite theme of mine, so it’s part tree-house, and part hobbit-house, along with elvish inspired half-timbered woodwork.  My next painting will be on a much bigger palette, as I will go back to painting the exterior of our home, which I postponed mid-stream when the summer heat arrived this year.  So sometime next spring I’ll begin painting a new cottage on canvas, but for now here’s my latest artwork:

‘Wood Cottage’ (2015)

(Copyright 2015, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s my most recent painting, ‘Montana Christmas’ (11″ x 14″) that I just finished, and it’s the latest addition to my ‘Cottage Series’ of paintings.  I try to improve with each new painting, and I’m very happy how my very first mountain range turned out.  This was also my first attempt at painting people and horses, or any animal for that matter – and although I’m happy with the result, there is room for improvement – enjoy!

‘Montana Christmas’ (2015)

(Copyright 2015, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve completed my original painting called ‘Christmas Cottage’ (11″ x 14″), and it’s the third in my ‘Cottage Series’ of paintings.  I’m trying to improve with each painting, and I’m happy with the progress I’ve made with this painting, while acknowledging I still have room for improvement! 🙂 I hope to branch out to paint people and animals as well, along with improving my perspective ~ enjoy! ☼ 🙂

‘Christmas Cottage’ (2015)

(Copyright 2015, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve completed my original painting called ‘Gatekeeper’s Cottage’ (11″ x 14″), and it’s the second in my ‘Cottage Series’ of paintings.  The cottage style is a special favorite of mine, and reconnects me to our many years of living in England and Germany years ago, and our travels throughout the UK and Europe.  In painting cottages from my imagination, I’m able to take myself back to those very pleasant memories, and I hope you enjoy strolling down Memory Lane with me in the process – enjoy! ☼ 🙂

‘Gatekeeper’s Cottage’ (2015)

(Copyright 2015, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve complete my latest painting called ‘Wood Hamlet’ (11″ x 14″), and it’s been an interesting journey for me.  I wanted to paint a smaller-scale painting of a hamlet of cottages in the forest (a hamlet being a village too small to have its own church), set in a wood with fields of wildflowers, along with a cobblestone bridge and a small stream.  All these details were new territory for me artistically, and along the way I had to invent (at least for myself) new techniques for painting details on a very small scale.

So if you look closely, you can see the flower boxes and shutters on each of the cottage windows, and if you view the painting from a distance the cottages begin to stand out individually.  I decided to set the scene under moonlight, and attempted to cast a sheen of reflected moonlight on the leaves.  So there you have it, two photos – one closer for the details and one set back a distance to gain perspective. I’ll stick with the cottage theme for my next painting as it’s a favorite of mine, so stay tuned!

‘Wood Hamlet’ (2015)

(Copyright 2015, Mark D. Jones, All Rights Reserved)

~~~~~~~~~~

I’m enjoying my return to painting after a 27 year absence, and this page is designed to showcase my artwork in one place for your viewing enjoyment! ☼ 🙂 Mark

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Examples of my house painting efforts during the years I wasn’t painting canvasses or squadron patches ~ our home in Keene, NH, during the years 2001-2005! ☼ 🙂 Mark

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~