Interview by Sarah Mills

www.laurencejones.com

My paintings incorporate elements of both fiction and reality and are brought to fruition through a varied means of production. Recently, a significant focus in the work has been an exploration of the mediated image and an investigation into the power of implied narrative. The architectural settings aim to situate the viewer in relationship with a domestic geography that is both recognisable yet hyperreal, offering a simulacrum of the everyday. The scenes are furnished with patterns and motifs that serve to tropicalise the work and enforce the overall aesthetic of the fabricated image. Through the act of painting, narrative begins to form as elements are added or removed, displaced from their source and recontextualised, providing the scenes an intangible familiarity. The interiors are painted with a rich palette, referencing the notion of a digitally arbitrated experience and the connotations of contemporary luxury. The screen-like finish of the paintings is offset by the use of broken and dripped paint, which grounds the work in a more traditional idea of material and process.

Can you briefly take us through your journey? How did you find your style?

I’ve always been interested in working with second or third hand imagery – imagery that has been appropriated from other sources. A lot of what I make now is more discerning – using found and edited imagery as a basis for framing a particular scene. Often, I paint many iterations using the same image, changing elements and backgrounds. Looking back, I’ve always been drawn to artists who use appropriation in a direct way – from Lichtenstein and Warhol to Dexter Dalwood – amongst a host of street artists and graphic designers. I am interested in painting that has a cinematic dimensionality and was exposed to the idea of staged imagery at a young age, while visiting the sets of major film and TV productions with my father, who works in set construction. It has been a gradual progression of distilling down the influence of others and getting to a point where my style is more rounded and mature – I’m comfortable with what I’m making now.

What is your favorite aspect of painting architecture?

I like the fact that architecture has this duality to it. On one hand, it can function in a very literal way as a figurative element in a painting. On the other hand, it has something to do with the idea of framing and acts as a painterly device, adding a pictorial depth, something that has featured throughout the history of painting. The idea of ‘looking’ on the part of the viewer, and the ever-shifting conceptual territory of this, is something of a running theme for me. There is also the allusion to the framing of a cinema screen or handheld device, the idea of a feed of images or stills: ever new and ever-changing simultaneously.

How do you approach a blank canvas?

I generally start with an idea of the sort of painting I would like to make, working with several images at once to construct a loose idea. When I have an idea of how to go about making it, I break down the image into layers, working from the back to the front to build depth. I usually now start with a drawing on the canvas, but I used to work directly onto the canvas with washes and glazes or colour. I find I leave less to chance now, which heightens the impact of the work. It’s much more direct making at least some of the formal decisions beforehand.

Where do you source your imagery from?

The imagery I work with is sourced from the internet, magazines, my own photos, and increasingly, social media; it’s like a digital rolodex of imagery that is always expanding.

I always try to draw from at least two to three images in order to avoid an idealised image – I’m much more interested in painting fictional scenes in a realist way. I find the reading is different and there is much more scope – more potential– for the final painting.

My ongoing series of ‘Night Pool’ paintings is based on found images of Los Angeles’ iconic Stahl House and several other unrelated images of skylines and graphic swatches, both appropriated. and from my own visit to LA. Painting from a sense of remove is important – I’m almost discovering a place and capturing its essence from a distance.

What have you been doing to keep things fresh in the studio?

It has been a strange year given the current global situation, the impact of which has been felt throughout the creative industries and far beyond. Despite the extremely turbulent social climate, it has been a good time to reflect on my practice and what has been a busy few years. I have been looking at how I can improve the work, studying different techniques, spending time with my older work, and learning to pace myself. Just working at a different pace has been refreshing, and I hope some of that calm remains when we return to some sense of normality.