Into the wild with Elaine Jones
- Rebecca Naylor
- Nov 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 12
In glorious celebration of nature’s fragile bounty, Elaine Jones’ work explores some of the world’s most remote destinations. In her latest series, she rediscovers that sense of vastness a little closer to home, drifting through the tree-lined waterways of Spain and Portugal with her family in tow.
Elaine Jones in her Bristol studio
What have you been working on lately?
I’m working on a new series! For years I’ve been painting these very blue seascapes, but recently my work has taken a turn and I’m totally loving it. It’s a collection of trees and rivers inspired by this summer just gone – exploring the gorgeous Spanish and Portuguese countryside with my partner and sons.
Where on your travels most inspired you?
We drove through the middle of the mountainous Pola de Somiedo. It was really quite remote. There was so much to explore, which, as a family, is something we really love. My sons were so excited about the wild bears native to the area, and we were getting up at the crack of dawn to go bear spotting. I remember walking up through the mountains to reach a prime spot when it suddenly dawned on me: this is actually quite scary! I started to wonder what we would do if we actually came across a bear, though we didn’t have to worry in the end. We had so many adventures like that and it was really special. Immersed in all those trees, it felt like we were in the very heart of nature.
Tell us about the rivers in your new collection.
We spent so much time on the water canoeing and paddleboarding. I remember bobbing along the river Lima and being totally astounded by how perfectly clear the water was. It was so fascinating to see everything going on beneath the surface. All the fish and aquatic life. Otters floating by. Another time, on the Douro Valley, we stopped on one of the little islands along the river to have lunch and were joined by a pine martin. It was just so overwhelming. So now I've come back and I'm trying to teach myself how to paint rivers! In a way, I’m trying to get across the beauty and the fragility of these incredible places.
How do your paintings begin?
My paintings tend to be based on a mix of references. Bits of drawings and photographs intermingle with memories and imagined circumstances. With any given painting, it isn’t really this place or that place. Even my recent paintings from Portugal might include elements from parts of Bristol. I regularly walk or run around the Downs when I take my son to school – or wander down to the Avon gorge where the goats live. The shapes of those trees often make their way into my work.
Elaine Jones working on a new painting
You're working on multiple pieces at the moment?
I never work on a single painting from beginning to end. Working on several pieces at once allows me to experiment with new ideas that come to me during the painting process. I tend to start off with a clear vision for one or two of the paintings (at least to begin with!) but tend to work more spontaneously with the others. That spontaneity is very deliberate. Perhaps I’ll throw a load of paint on one piece and see what it does. The composition slowly emerges from this process of experimentation, and I’ll keep working on the structure until it feels right. I love building up a sense of history – it’s so interesting to think about what happened underneath to bring the painting to its final point.
How do you know when to stop?
I find that once I start getting too fiddly, the painting loses something. Sometimes, if I feel a painting isn’t working, I’ll grab a big tub of paint and just throw it on! It inevitably transforms the dynamic. Sometimes it totally ruins it, other times it’s an ‘aha’ moment. It’s brilliant when it works. With that bit of energy, everything changes and you can finally see a way forward – or, occasionally, it finishes the piece.
Are you influenced by other artists' work?
I certainly have favourite artists. A big favourite is Cecily Brown. She works with these large, gestural shapes. Lots of figures all over each other. But that’s not what you initially see – her works first appear as abstract tangles of colour and thick paint. I totally love them, but I don’t so much feel influenced by others’ work. Sometimes I’ll look at Hockney for his trees. Recently I was at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and found a couple of Picasso’s tree paintings, too. It was interesting to see how he went about them, but I’ve had my own style for a very long time and tend to try to build upon that or refer back to my previous work. It’s the same when I paint with watercolours – I may not follow the rules (my partner is always telling me not to use the white paint!), but I just love to go my own way. It’s simply instinctive.
Do you find it difficult to part with your work?
I’m inclined to say no, but I do have some pieces at home that I've never exhibited. They’re a little bit different to what I normally create. There’s this one painting in ochre and cream that I really love, and there are a couple of others that tend to stick around. But they’re very much the exception and I do believe I’ll eventually part with them.
Inside Elaine Jones' sketchbook; details from the artist's studio
Are any of your new works on show at the moment?
Yes! My first trees went into the wild on Saturday – they’re on show at neighbouring gallery Clifton Contemporary Art. It’s a little bit scary putting new work out into the world, especially when it’s such a departure from what I normally paint. Then, at the end of November, Andrew Hood and I have an open house event. We’re taking part in the North Bristol Artists' Trail – it’s a brilliant community event and a number of my new paintings will be on display.
Catch Elaine Jones' latest series at Clifton Contemporary Art until 9th December, join us at North Bristol Artists' Trail or contact us for further information and to enquire about available artworks.
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