About   About Karen Jones    About Karen Jones   It all began with a humble dandelion seed head in April '03. I had seen an exhibition of photographic art by my neighbour Jan Barnes at the local doctor's surgery in Llanrug. The title 'Transitions' made me think of our own mortality. I knew Jan was fighting hard against cancer. One of her photos was a gorgeous, delicate close-up of a dandelion clock, signifying time.   I picked my own dandelion in the garden and made a pencil sketch to show Jan. She sadly lost her fight with cancer, dying peacefully some months later, but before she left we had many interesting conversations about art. One of the last things she told me was 'Keep going - don't stop".   I experimented and devoted days and entire weeks to trying different media. Eventually I came up with an unusual formula - art in glass and enamel. I got very excited as I realized I could cut and shape the glass and enamel to the mountains and cottages of my homeland.   It came as a revelation! Now I knew I could express my deep nostalgia for the old 'Rural Wales' which runs in my blood from generations of farming ancestors on my mother's side. I was thrilled to realize I now had a real connection my local landscape and could express my love for it in it's beauty and majesty.   I particularly love the way in which the small stone cottages and big strong field-stone walls weave themselves into the landscape to give Wales it's unique quality; they form the vital threads of community and reduce the vastness of the landscape to an intimate lacy weave. I even love the telegraph poles with their great big brown insulators. They have become part of that system of threads, as wire itself looks precariously loose as it dips between them, brilliant!   The 'Fens Crawia' - to be seen particularly in this area of North Wales - is another favourite. Waste pieces of slate from the quarries 'Crawia' - were, quite literally, woven into the landscape with wiran lefn. I now cut these fences, but in glass and use a special thread to depict the retaining wire.   I'm very lucky to have been born into such a lovely place as Caernarfonshire and to have the delight of mountains and sea so close together. I try to observe the way that the light affects both, and how the colours change with weather and season.   I love the drama of a colourful sunset and the pure hopeful light of dawn. I am drawn to paint the reflections of mountains in lake or sea. I try to lift people's spirits and make them smile inwardly by giving paintings warmth. Sometimes i use kitchen stuff, such as spaghetti or peppercorns (Brilliant for those telegraph poles and their insulators): an element of humour is important to us all.   Sometimes in a very beautiful landscape I think there exists a remarkable balance of nature. On deeper reflection, when this is acknowledged, surely the only explanation of this mystery is that there must be a greater power than ourselves, a divine creator.   I see or sense this power through the beauty and balance of natural and in my paintings, I try to reflect that God has left his fingerprints all over my Snowdonia and all over my Wales.   I hope that you enjoy my paintings.   Go to paintings page