Mike Jones (1941 – 9 January 2022) was a Welsh painter whose work was inspired by the coal miners and working people of South Wales.[1]

Biography

Born in 1941, Jones grew up in the village of Godrergraig, where his father was a coal miner (also running the Bird in Hand pub).[2] When Jones lost an eye at the age of nine, his surgeon suggested he start drawing to help improve his coordination.[3] Though he was encouraged to paint by his headmaster, Jones was discouraged from going to the nearby Swansea School of Art, with his parents preferring him to find a more reliable job.[2]

After becoming friends with painters Josef Herman and Will Roberts, Jones developed an interest in the subject of coal miners. He obsessively filled sketchbooks with drawings of local working people.[3] He became known as an important chronicler of working life in Wales and, in later life, a link to a former industrial life of the area.[2] He was championed by Mary Yapp and her gallery, the Albany Gallery in Cardiff, which held regular solo exhibitions.[2] The National Library of Wales holds examples of Jone's work. [4]

Jones' final exhibition was held to mark his 80th birthday, in October 2021 at Tŷ’r Gwrhyd, Pontardawe.[4]

Jones worked from an attic studio at his home in Pontardawe. He died on 9 January 2022, aged 80.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "An injury helped artist Mike Jones hone his craft". Wales Online. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jenny White (22 January 2022). "Remembering a hero of Welsh art". Western Mail (Weekend Magazine). pp. 18–19.
  3. 1 2 "Artist Mike Jones turns to fisherman for latest exhibition". Wales Online. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Tributes pour in for Welsh artist Mike Jones, who passed away aged 80". Nation.Cymru. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
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