Inside Lauren Jones’ Captivating Paintings
Sunshine Coast-based artist Lauren Jones’ feminine portraits and still life scenes capture beautiful moments in time.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Elle May Watson & Lauren Jones
Lauren Jones in her studio in the heart of the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Photo: Elle May Watson
Fiore Calthia by Lauren Jones. Photo: Lauren Jones
“I feel privileged that I get to live out my passion—I value creativity, it’s one of my strengths, and I love to share my knowledge and passion with other creatives and art appreciators.”
A Remedy For Memory by Lauren Jones. Photo: Lauren Jones
‘I get to create something out of nothing and use my inspiration to hopefully inspire another,’ says Lauren Jones, Pictured: Alcyone by Lauren Jones.
Silentium Flavum by Lauren Jones. Photo: Lauren Jones
‘I think when I’m truly in a ‘flow state’ my mind is empty and I’m purely focused on mixing a colour, a stroke or texture. I get intensely focused on the physicality of painting and it’s my favourite state to be in.’ Photo: Elle May Watson
Lauren Jones can easily spend hours completely lost in her artwork, nestled away in her studio in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Moments and hours often blur into one another, the artist frequently setting an alarm to remind herself that it’s time to step away.
‘It’s amazing how time flies by in the studio! I think when I’m truly in a ‘flow state’, my mind is empty and I’m purely focused on mixing a colour, a stroke or texture. I get intensely focused on the physicality of painting and it’s my favourite state to be in. Everything else, all of life’s stresses and concerns melt away and I’m purely tuned into making,’ shares Lauren.
As with many creatives we’ve profiled, Lauren’s artistic calling began with a childhood marked by an irrepressibly creative spirit. Growing up in a home that was nurturing and creative, art was a natural inclination. ‘As a child I was endlessly creating craft, painting and drawing and listening to stories. My mother loved children’s art and encouraged my brothers and I to play and create as much as we wanted,’ she says.
It was during studying art at TAFE, that Lauren attended an Alla Prima Masterclass with artist Fu Hong. ‘I found it such an engaging workshop and I really resonated with Fu Hong and his technique. At the end of the masterclass, I decided to pursue art more seriously and enrolled in a fine art degree in Melbourne,’ Lauren says.
Today, Lauren’s process involves preparing for a painting the evening before, sorting through source images she’s either found or staged herself. Once she decides on the subject to paint, she commits to a painting for the following day. The morning starts with a cup of tea, a favourite playlist, and a fresh palette of paint. ‘Then I begin a quick thirty minutes of study painting, for fun and to loosen up for the day.’ The free flowing painting style sets her creativity in motion, easing away any concerns or creative blocks.
Lauren’s artwork consists of portraiture and still life settings. Once she begins painting, her strokes and style move between gestural and a more realistic style. While her still life paintings are mostly larger scale and call for more detail, her portraits are more compact, allowing her to work with a thicker paint and a larger brush, creating work that’s beautifully textural and more abstract.
‘I’m not a realist painter and I’m never trying to achieve a perfect likeness or polished form, rather I enjoy the moments that the wet paint captures movement and how the brushstrokes sit side by side to explain tone rather than smooth and blended result—generally, I’m trying to capture light and the way it falls and shapes an object,’ says Lauren.
Painting is something that is continuously intriguing for the artist, ‘It reveals endless possibilities and that’s something that I love exploring and remaining playful every time I’m in the studio. The action and physicality of painting brings me so much joy, I’ll never tire of it—I feel privileged that I get to live out my passion,’ she shares.
Looking forward, Lauren hopes to be a finalist in an upcoming Archibald exhibition and also work towards a European residency, ‘I would love to experience life as an artist traveling with my family, and see how that influences my work.’
Lauren is currently working on a show with Michael Reid Northern Beaches gallery this October, which will feature expressive and light-filled still life pieces.
For more information about Lauren’s work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.
‘I do often get lost when I’m painting. I have to set myself alarms, as I lose track of time. It’s amazing how time flies by in the studio!’ Photo: Elle May Watson
Passim by Lauren Jones. Photo: Lauren Jones
Edith by Lauren Jones. Photo: Lauren Jones
‘I have always remained intrigued and inspired to grow in my own practice.’ Photo: Elle May Watson