Art Huddle is no longer an active site.

We are currently developing an exciting new blog which will work alongside our new website.

Thank you for your interest, please visit www.johnjones.co.uk for more information.

Photography Work Experience Opportunity (Voluntary Position)

An exciting opportunity for a talented Photographer wanting to gain professional work experience.

John Jones is collaborating with artist/designer Stuart Haygarth to produce a large scale installation at the V&A as part of the London Design Festival 2010.

Based around Stuart’s ethos of creating artwork using found materials, the piece will be composed of mouldings from John Jones frames, in a variety of colours, textures and finishes which will cascade down the staircase at the entrance of the V&A.

We need to source a talented photographer who would be interested in documenting the various stages of the project. This is a great way to build up your portfolio, whilst working alongside some of the key cultural institutions in London. Once complete there is also a possibility that a small publication may be made including the photographic work.

If you are interested in becoming involved please email marketing@johnjones.co.uk with a maximum of 5 examples of your work and your CV.
Please note that this project is already underway and will continue until mid September. Key dates for photographic work will be communicated, however, we are looking for a photographer who is able to offer a certain amount of flexibility with their availability.

The deadline for submitting your interest is Wednesday 21st July.
Please note: only shortlisted photographers will be contacted

For more information check out:
www.stuarthaygarth.com
www.johnjones.co.uk

John Jones Create Bespoke Leather Frame

Leather designer Bill Amberg has created bespoke pieces for some of the world’s most prestigious institutions from Asprey and Claridges in London to Burberry in Milan and lightweight, fireproof leather for Lufthansa Technic’s specialist planes.
As part of the London Festival of Architecture John Jones have worked with Bill Amberg to produce a beautiful bespoke leather frame. The frame will house one of a series of photographs customised with art and design by some of the country’s leading talents, displaying under-used parts of our urban landscape as areas of great potential. The project, a collaboration between charity Shelter and building design consultancy Urban Infill, seeks to encourage the viewer to look at London’s disused spaces in a different light and can also create their own ideas for the spaces on a public interactive wall.
The framed piece, along with the other works, will be for sale via silent auction, with all proceeds going to Shelter.

The exhibition closes and bidding ends at 6pm on Sunday 4 July.
For more information, click here.

Recommend A Friend Scheme

We are excited to announce the brand new initiative.

Want a 10% discount on your next order with John Jones Artist Surfaces? Recommend a Friend to us. Click here to find out more

New Workshops for June

As part of the first Islington Exhibits art festival, we will be holding two workshops in June including our brand new Stretching Workshop which allows attendees to stretch their own canvas with the help of our technicians and take it home with them.

Artist Surfaces Stretching Workshop
Venue: John Jones, 4 Morris Place, London, N4 3JG
Date: Friday 2nd July
Time: 3–5pm
Cost: £30 (discounted rate)

John Jones only has 10 places on this course. In support of Islington Exhibits they are running this workshop at a discounted rate of £30 which includes a canvas worth £15 (normal cost of the workshop is £40). The fee includes supervised use of equipment, hand tools and all materials needed for making the stretcher.

To learn more or book a place click here.

SALON ART PRIZE – Call for entries

We are pleased to sponsoring the Salon Art Prize this year. Since 2007, Matt Roberts Arts has produced the annual Salon Art Prize, exhibiting 244 artists and photographers and receiving over 2800 visitors.

They are currently seeking applications for the fourth annual Salon Art Prize,
in which we will support artists working in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Collage, Sculpture and Installation (including sound).

The selection panel will consist of:
Peter Bonnell (Curator, ArtSway)
Kate MacGarry (Director, Kate MacGarry gallery)
Richard Birkett (Curator, ICA)

Up to 100 works will be on display at the 1000sq ft gallery in Vyner Street.
One artist will be awarded The Selectors' Prize supported by John Jones, which consists of £1000 and a solo show at the gallery space in 2011.

The deadline for applications is 5pm, Saturday 7th August, 2010.

For further information please visit the website.

John Jones Jumble Sale

June 5th-6th 10am-4pm
Frames, Stretcher Bars, Canvas, Art and more...

As part of the first stages of our building expansion, we are selling our store of acquired bespoke frames in a huge variety of styles, sizes and finishes all at discount prices. The sale will also include artist canvases, stretchers and artwork perfect for a corporate environment. Funds generated will be dedicated to the future development of our new, not for profit Project Space.

Limited additional dates are available by appointment.
Please contact:

sales.assistant@johnjones.co.uk
Transport Links: 1 minute from Finsbury Park Underground, Overground and Bus Station (Wells Terrace Exit)

Certified cheque or cash only
Ample Parking space for cars, vans and lorries making collections
Our Jumble Sale runs alongside the Art Car Boot Fair, so once you find a bargain at the car boot head over to John Jones to find a bargain deal on a frame!

The Sunday Painter

We were intrigued to hear about this exciting new project from The Sunday Painter an artist led, non-profit organisation which seeks to promote the work of contemporary artists.

14th May sees the opening of their new gallery and inaugural show in the space Daytona Ray, an exhibition of new works from Stuart Middleton.

‘Daytona Ray’ presents an assembly of sculptural objects in conversation. A combination of reclaimed and hand crafted elements converge to produce structures of confused familiarity. Through laboured processes of treatment and manipulation, paint, wood and metal combine to reference a seemingly conflicting set of cultural attitudes, material histories and modes of production.

Private View: 13th May
6:00 - 9:00 PM

Exhibition open : 14th May - 30th May
Hours : Thursday - Sunday, 12-6 PM

If you attend - let us know what you think!

Feedback from Artist Mark Shields

When all the elements of a painting lock together, when everything seems to have found its rightful place, the painter is as close as he can ever be to claiming the picture is finished. But if the work is to be framed then the painting is in a sense still being continued. Thoughtless framing has the power to undermine the delicate balance of forms and colours so assiduously constructed by the artist.

As a result many painters prefer to leave their works unframed, others make and colour the frames themselves. A great deal of trust is required to leave one's pictures in the hands of a framer. It's not always understood that a painter doesn't merely want a frame which suits his work- which in my view is one which does not draw attention to itself, does not weaken the essential functions of the painting yet at the same time satisfactorily contains the image, concentrating the viewer's gaze- but also one which is compatible with the actual ideas or mood communicated in the work. This is why a framer willing to work closely with the artist is important but rare.

With Matt Jones and his framing team one is immediately reassured of not merely willingness but an eagerness to have this involvement where possible. There is at once the confidence that this is an experienced team at both framing and at listening to artist's ideas. Only when a frame finally surrounds a painting is the extent of its effect fully visible. Few of us have the time or money to have a selection of frames made to aid our decision so again it is essential to feel confident in the framer's judgment and once again even when decisions have to be made speedily I feel reassured that, should something unforeseen occur, the John Jones team would have the discernment to alter accordingly or seek the artists opinion again.

I, in co-operation with my gallery, Grosvenor Gallery, have been using John Jones for framing on and off since 1997 and with the work ranging from sharply defined realist Heads and still life’s through to dark, low contrast landscapes and a couple of official portrait commissions thrown in along the way the team have had plenty to challenge them. No 'one frame suits all' here. 'John Jones' is one of three different framers who have helped with this latest body of work, "Here and Elsewhere".

The paintings that Paul Tame and his colleagues have been working on are mostly 5ft by 4ft with one 6ft by 5ft and have a very matt, chalky surface giving the impression they could be sections removed from ancient tomb paintings or chapel frescoes. Since this surface is bound up with the technique and ultimately the meaning of the works they needed to remain unglazed. It seemed best that the selected moulding should not sit out too far from the picture plane and not be too elaborate or glossy. The subjects have a pared-down and primitive quality so the frames needed to be quite austere and yet have a recognisable stamp of quality to their finish. Not too grand or Drawing-Room-like. Within quite tight time constraints Paul and his team produced very pleasing results.

Keeping the same profile for all the works, the frames were given a subtly scored and speckled distressed appearance, the colouring of each unobtrusively matched to each individual painting echoing their earthy tones and surfaces sensitively.

The width of frame suited the scale of the works well and the deep sides gave the pictures the substantial weightiness required to accentuate the appearance of an almost carved and chiseled shallow relief suggested in the technique. All of this enhanced the monumental quality I was hoping to achieve in the works. My congratulations and thanks again to all at John Jones for their hard work, advice and support (the team also very kindly showed up at the preview- which is beyond the call of duty when they have so many shows to frame for).

New Installation by Sarah Kate Wilson

We were excited to hear that our former Artist in Residence Sarah Kate Wilson is currently displaying TESTBED a new large scale public installation in Elcho Street, Battersea.



Installed across two garage doors, Is it Christmas Already? measures 18m in length and will run until 23rd May.

Alongside this, Sarah Kate Wilson will be presenting her degree show in June, as she graduates from the Slade School of Art. Her work embodies the delight and rebellion of contemporary painting and challenge expectations of what painting should be about.

For more information on Sarah Kate Wilson please click here.

Dawnbreakers

At John Jones, a shared love of art is apparent in everything we do. This can also be seen through the wide range of talented artists that work throughout the company.

We were excited to learn that our Photography Consultant Kevin Smith’s work is being shown as part of Dawnbreakers, an exhibition exploring the impact of the new millennium. Although the topic of the millennium has been addressed many times before, Dawnbreakers presents a fresh approach, focussing upon themes surrounding the transition into the Information Age and in doing so subtly mirroring the artistic trends that surrounded the turn of the nineteenth century.

Bringing together contemporary artists from a range of disciplines including photography, print making and painting, the exhibition will run display at the John Hansard Gallery in Southampton until 19th June 2010. Admission is free. For more information click here.

Image courtesy of John Hansard Gallery

Full Throttle - Frames by John Jones

Last night a private view was held for Full Throttle the second part of a retrospective showcasing the work of legendary photography Bob Carlos Clarke. The Little Black Gallery in Chelsea is hosting the exhibition, framed by John Jones, which features a selection of pictures from Bob’s 30 year career.

Bob Carlos Clarke’s work has attracted much controversy over the years and this exhibition is no exception. Within days of it going on display the police received anonymous complaints about the images on display, particularly Whip Girl (shown above, at the Luciano Restaurant, London) and Tite Street.

After a visit from the police the gallery to move this piece, so it could not been seen from the street. Although the police officer was careful to state that this was not the place to have a debate about “art versus pornography”, the topic has been picked up on by the press who are asking the inevitable questions about this kind of censorship, in a society where sexual imagery is increasingly prevalent.

With many theatres now offering film style advisory ratings for their plays, is there a pressure on art galleries to follow suit? Of course, these debates are nothing new, art has always caused controversy and controversy will always spark interest. Bob Carlos Clarke’s work has become highly collectable and this is reflected in the sales of the pieces currently on display.

With the dispute continuing, the gallery has so far made the decision not to move Tite Street and has seen greatly increased numbers of attendees at the exhibition.

Full Throttle will run until 5th June, entry is free.
For more information click here.

John Jones Artist in Residence Mariana Heilmann

Thankfully to Kate and Lizzie, I had a second month as resident artist at John Jones. The residency has now finished, and I moved out of the studio last Monday.

For two months I worked at the very core of the workshops at John Jones. Walking to and from my studio I had the privilege of witnessing the entire process of frame making; from where the raw wood arrives to where the frames are glazed, sealed and wrapped for delivery and everything in-between.

The myriad of sounds, smells and sights was an inspiration and a lesson each day; the planing, blade cutting, the forming, the sanding, the cutting, the joining, the spraying, the sanding again, the gessoing, the painting, the gilding, the polishing, the soldering, the fixing, the sticking, the bonding, the mounting, the stretching and so on.

Because of the very busy frame making schedule I did not dare to disturb and ask too many questions, but there were wonderful people who, at coffee breaks visited me, brought me materials, and told me about their particular expertise. The interaction with them was fundamental to the work I was able to carry out, for without them, I would have not had the materials that they brought to my attention and keenly collected for me, nor the wonderful coffee break chats.

What a wealth of great and talented people, all highly skilled both in their specialty, and some as artists as well! Tabs' beautiful painted insects and Finoula's stunning drawings are fresh in my mind.

The extra month allowed me to, not only complete 3 commissions, but also gave me the opportunity to investigate the possibilities of the many materials that members of the team at JJ brought to my attention. At first I made small "sketches" with each material. I had, polishing wheels, blades, sanding wheels, acrylic and aluminum cut offs, sand paper, cutting mats, crinoline paper, welding rods and more. All these materials had either been used, or were a bi product of making another. Some of the investigations have remained just sketches for now and others I concluded and framed myself in Perspex boxes.

Though I did the mounting myself, I think that just being surrounded by the world of framing, opened in me an awareness of placement within a given space. Much of the time spent on each piece was spent making the decisions on proportion and layout to enable the work to read the way I intended it.

For anyone interested in seeing what I did during some of my residency, a collection of 9 finished pieces are hanging in the Collection Space for the month of April. I see these as first steps in my investigations, and have plans to make larger scale versions of a few of those displayed.
In conjunction with what is exhibited, I also produced 12 small pieces that are spring boards for potential future ideas. Unfortunately I was not able to exhibit these studio works as one was made of blades and too dangerous!

It has been a great residency. Apart from the abundance of interesting materials to explore and having a great space in which to work, I think I have probably learned more than I realise. The accumulated exposure to the goings on at the workshops and the interaction with everyone at John Jones will, I am sure, contribute in big and small ways to the next steps I will take.

For anyone interested in keeping abreast of what I am doing, please feel free to email me; mariana@marianaheilmann.com.

Art Plus Music Party

The Whitechapel Gallery will hold its annual Art Plus Music Party on 22nd April. As part of its ongoing collaboration with the gallery, John Jones have been involved, framing the works for the charity auction, which will feature artists such as Varda Caivano, Bridget Riley and Thomas Ruff.

Alongside the auction, the evening will include a wide range of music, art and installation, to raise money for the gallery’s Education and Community Programme. Music will be supplied by The Broken Hearts, Jefferson Hack, Dan Lywood, Justin Robertson, Matthew Stone, The Voguettes, Wild Cat Will and Nathan Gregory Wilkins.

If this wasn’t enough, The Whitechapel Gallery has also set up a series of specially commissioned performances involving collaboration between well known musicians and artists. The lineup will feature names such as Bishi and Oscar Sol, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, Barrie Cadogan and Darrin Mooney with The Kills' Jamie Hince and Katy England with Julie Verhoeven; Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Ari Benjamin Meyers and Jack Peñate.

If you’d like to find out more, book tickets, or take part in the auction please click here.

John Jones Cameo in New Art Film

Boogie Woogie is a comedy set in the contemporary London art world. Director Duncan Ward presents an all start cast including Christopher Lee, Amanda Seyfried, Gillian Anderson, Danny Huston, Heather Graham, Alan Cumming, and Joanna Lumley. Based on Danny Moynihan’s novel of the same name, Boogie Woogie casts a wickedly satirical eye over the darker side of the London art scene.

Exploring themes of debauchery and morality, the story centres around the discovery of a priceless work of art and the extreme lengths to which some of the contemporary art world’s major players will go to, to get their hands on it. Look out for a cameo from John Jones Ltd. Let us know if you spot us!

Boogie Woogie is due for general release on 16th April.

Call for Entries

Converse/Dazed 2010 Emerging Artist Award

In collaboration with Converse, Dazed Digital has opened the entry process for its 2010 Emerging Artist Award.

All UK based or British artists under 35 are eligible, the only conditions being that you are not involved in study (university or art school) and are not represented by a gallery. Entrants can submit up to five images of their artwork and any type of art is accepted from painting and sculpture to video, performance and sound entries.
Five artists will be shortlisted and the winner will receive a £6,000 cash prize. All shortlisted artists will be awarded £1,000 and have the opportunity to display their work the Stephen Friedman Gallery, alongside the winner, throughout July and August of 2010.
The judging panel which consists of art insiders such as Sadie Coles, Francesca Gavin and Tim Marlow will select the shortlist based on what they consider to be the best, most innovative, interesting, well produced and strongest work.
The deadline for submissions is 1st May 2010, for full details click here.

John Jones Welcomes The House of Fairytales

John Jones are excited to welcome the House of Fairytales print portfolio to their Projection space. The collection showcases 23 international artists who have produced a series of images inspired by folklore, fairytales and mythology. John Jones has collaborated with The House of Fairy Tales to create a series of beautiful frames that respond to each individual print within the series.

This unique collection was launched at The Original Print Fair at the Royal Academy in April 2008. Over two thirds of the edition is now housed in permanent collections all over the world including The Tate Collection, The National Museum of Wales, The New Art Gallery Walsall, The Government Art Collection and The British Airways Collection.

Established by the artists Deborah Curtis and Gavin Turk, The House Of Fairy Tales is a child-centred artist led project which draws on an extensive team of artists, performers, writers, educationalists, designers, musicians, film makers, dreamers and philosophers to create magical, parallel worlds where learning is play and play is directed learning.

Modern Moral Matters - Exhibition by Richard Hamilton

The Serpentine Gallery in London are currently displaying Modern Moral Matters; a series of artworks by British artist, Richard Hamilton.

The exhibition will feature installations, prints and paintings all based around the subjects of international politics, riots, terrorist acts and war. By displaying the political works of Hamilton in a fresh light, the exhibition seeks to examine the impact that changing media has had upon the way conflicts are reported.

Modern Moral Matters, also explores how Hamilton uses and reuses found materials, particularly photographs. A key example of this, Swingeing London, is housed in the John Jones Contemporary Art Collection.

The piece is part of a series of 10 different incarnations of the same press image, that of Mick Jagger and Hamilton’s then art dealer Robert Fraser’s arrest for drug possession. Reproduced as an oil painting, screenprint, etching, pencil, pastel and watercolour these will be in display beside the other works until 25th April 2010.

For more information on the John Jones Art Collection click here.

The Shoebox Art Auction

Last night The Kids Charity held an auction at the Haunch of Venison in Mayfair, selling over 40 works designed by some of the world’s leading contemporary artists. Damian Hirst, David Bailey, Marc Quinn and many others were asked to recreate their childhood bedrooms in a shoe box, mirroring a previous exhibition in which 125 children created their own shoebox rooms. The results ranged from true to life recreations (Daisy de Villeneuve) to “the room I wanted” (David Bailey) as well as more abstract interpretations (Zaha Hadid). A full list of works can be found on the Shoebox Auction website.

John Jones were delighted to be involved with the event, designing a unique way to display and protect the works of art, some of which sold for over £20,000. Our framing consultants created an elegant Perspex box which has a low reflective surface, protective glazing and sits on a smooth white tulip wood base. All proceeds from the Shoebox Art auction will go to supporting at risk children. For more information on our framing click here.

John Jones Artist in Residence Mariana Heilmann

Entry 3

Week 2 at JJ was mostly about working on my commission, Wave of Peace II...
At first I felt that it would be like crossing a never ending desert when I saw that huge area to cover.....no matter how many hours I put in, it seemed like I was not progressing AT ALL. As the week went on, I started to see that indeed I was covering ground, and the beauty of the way the light plays on the surface began to show.

Physically Wave of Peace is a tiring piece to make and a few times I was forced to change activity in order to not exacerbate pinched nerves and an achy back. The muscles in my hands also were pushed hard...

I took a visit to the Metalwork department where they make beautifully polished Aluminium and Brass frames. Paul, who himself is an artist and makes the most amazing robots and lamps out of discarded machine parts, (when not at John Jones) was very generous in his help and enthusiasm about what I am doing during his breaks. (Look at his website www.mechanical-alchemist.com ) At the end of one day, Paul and his two colleagues came like the ‘Three Kings’ to my studio bearing marvellous gifts of bits of soldering rods, metal filings, old polishing wheels and metal frame off cuts.

Today a photographer came from REX and took photos of my Blade Studies for some possible press....

Everyone at John Jones is extremely helpful and friendly. Italo, who is a HUOMO UNIVERSALE has put great lighting in the studio, set up shelves for me and set me up with two great working tables.