The inspiration behind Robin Jones’ new solo show at Blue Rain Gallery began with a deep dive into her own ancestry, including the spiritual and cultural aspects of those lands, specifically the Celtic lands of Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Brittany. The artist focused a little more on Wales ever since learning that the Welsh are considered indigenous to what is modern-day Britain—including a language that is one of the oldest in the world.
The Thin Veil, oil and gold leaf on panel, 36 x 36 in.
“It is a very powerful time of year for Celtic pagan practitioners, where the veil becomes thin between the spirit and human worlds, full of liminality, and an inspiration for these paintings,” says Jones. “The animistic aspect of Celtic pagan spirituality—also part of virtually every indigenous spiritual practice around the world, where all things have spirit—is something that has spoken deeply to me and one in which I practice.”
But All They Say is One Word, and That One Word is ‘Live’, oil on panel, 30 x 24 in.
Jones explains that in this latest body of work, she has included ideas and themes that come from animism, the belief that the divine manifests in the elements of the natural world. They also touch upon aspects of specific Celtic lands and non-human beings living alongside humans.
“I continue to focus on young people, as they will inherit the planet we leave them,” Jones says. Most of the paintings in the exhibition feature young girls in fantastical, collage-like settings, surrounded by various creatures like dragonflies, goats, birds and butterflies.
They Have Gone Through and Through Me, Like Wine Through Water, and Altered the Color of My Mind, oil and gold leaf on panel, 30 x 36 in.
A professional theater actor, Jones is comfortable capturing the vast range of human experiences. Her artwork blends realism with something the artist says is akin to mysticism.
“Robin Jones creates work that is both hauntingly beautiful and deeply necessary,” says Leah Garcia of Blue Rain Gallery. “Her paintings remind us that the natural world and the human spirit are inseparable, and that the choices we make today ripple forward into the lives of future generations.”
Snowdonia, oil and gold leaf on panel, 20 x 30 in.
The title of the exhibition is Nos Galan Gaeaf, which is the day before the first day of winter in Wales. The tradition is also comparable to Halloween in the United States. The show will hang from October 31 to November 11, with an artist reception the first day from 5 to 7 p.m. —
Blue Rain Gallery 544 S. Guadalupe Street • Santa Fe, NM 87501 • (505) 954-9902 • www.blueraingallery.com
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