Dylan Jones - Artwork
His second exhibition at the Museum (again shared with Eve Smith) did reveal a development of technique, but the paintings retained their character. Umbrella figures were less in evidence but the work remained strongly figurative.
Representative of this work is the painting 'Topiary'. Here, two dancing female figures cavort under a vivid moon around a pair of green shears - the shears are open as if about to cut, and resemble the crossed swords that are incorporated into highland dancing. Behind the figures are two giant yew trees that have been trimmed into fantastical bird-shapes. The painting has a haunting, ritualistic air, and its fairytale quality is enhanced by the miniature cottage that dominates the background and is undoubtedly the home of the two mysterious dancers.
Following advice from Trawsgoed artist Kate Smith, Dylan Jones submitted images of his work to the Alex Gerrard Gallery of Fine Art in East Sussex, the gallery specialises in Self-taught, Naïve Primitive Outsider & Folk Art. This resulted in his work being represented at the Gallery's Summer 2001 Exhibition, which also included paintings by David Pearce and Lucy Casson. Representative pictures from this exhibition include 'Among the Fishes' and 'Figure with a Blue Pot'.
2002 saw a small exhibition at the 'Treehouse Café' in Aberystwyth. The newest material here pushed at the boundaries of naïvety with a series of cat portraits inspired by a painting that his daughter made when she was four years of age. An example of these is 'Y Gath Ryfedd' (after Lucy).
A slightly more sinister and troubled cat/human portrait (The Sorrowing Cat) was included in the 2005 exhibition at The Stable Studio, Kington. Also included here was the colourful 'Laura's Flowers' and 'The Bearing of Crosses'.
Acrylic is the most commonly used medium of his work, with occasional forays into watercolour & coloured charcoal.