WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN
Wes Jones, 2022
"She is most frequently asked the same two questions about her work: How long did it take to make the work? And how long will it last? Her work is so extraordinarily detailed, yet appears so fragile, the viewer simultaneously marvels at the time devoted to its creation while also considering its eventual demise. That the result of weeks of tinkering may only last an equal or shorter amount of time adds further urgency to the viewing moment. The implication is that there is value in spending time to make something that may exist only temporarily, simply for the joy of seeing an idea come to life. This devotion to time spent in creative play generally contradicts how time is valued in day-to-day life in industrial and post-industrial societies."
- Leanne Sacramone, “Sarah Sze: Distilling Value into the Everyday.” Sarah Sze, De nuit en jour / Night into Day (Paris: Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, 2020) 154.
"Because it is art, the conversation is never straightforward. The work doesn’t always go along, it talks back, sometimes saying unexpected things. Either party can start the conversation, but it always begins with a look, a stroke, a choice or placement, and then takes off. Sometimes the work moves carefully to a foreseen conclusion, but more often it lurches from one surprise to another, taking two steps forward and then one or more steps back. Whether marching steadily from discovery to confirmation or reeling between surprise and disappointment, though, the conversation always struggles against the gravity of judgment. The “good eye” assesses what is acceptable and rejects what is not, following uneven steps to inspiration or refinement or revision. There is always a move, a judgment of that move, and then an answering move."
- Wes Jones. "masking." MASKING (Santa Barbara, CA: Anacapa Studios, 2018) 12-14.
discipline mixed with some mezcal
a 3-0 changeup
playing within the mess
the conversation is never straightforward
a look, a stroke, a choice or placement
marching steadily from discovery to confirmation
reeling between surprise and disappointment
following uneven steps to inspiration
move quickly and continuously
not stop and start with time between
a game plan of sorts
a show and go
offense oriented
ship some things ahead of time
oversized paper
a local Home Depot
stop thinking
three rolls
all different
post facade = doubt
between figurative and abstraction
figurative as abstract
abstract as figurative
ambiguous and doubtful
wanders gracefully
instead of jarringly
painting fuzziness
an abstraction that could be not
who knows what will happen…
Show Sponsor:
Lucky Bucket Brewing Co.
Wes Jones, 2022
"She is most frequently asked the same two questions about her work: How long did it take to make the work? And how long will it last? Her work is so extraordinarily detailed, yet appears so fragile, the viewer simultaneously marvels at the time devoted to its creation while also considering its eventual demise. That the result of weeks of tinkering may only last an equal or shorter amount of time adds further urgency to the viewing moment. The implication is that there is value in spending time to make something that may exist only temporarily, simply for the joy of seeing an idea come to life. This devotion to time spent in creative play generally contradicts how time is valued in day-to-day life in industrial and post-industrial societies."
- Leanne Sacramone, “Sarah Sze: Distilling Value into the Everyday.” Sarah Sze, De nuit en jour / Night into Day (Paris: Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, 2020) 154.
"Because it is art, the conversation is never straightforward. The work doesn’t always go along, it talks back, sometimes saying unexpected things. Either party can start the conversation, but it always begins with a look, a stroke, a choice or placement, and then takes off. Sometimes the work moves carefully to a foreseen conclusion, but more often it lurches from one surprise to another, taking two steps forward and then one or more steps back. Whether marching steadily from discovery to confirmation or reeling between surprise and disappointment, though, the conversation always struggles against the gravity of judgment. The “good eye” assesses what is acceptable and rejects what is not, following uneven steps to inspiration or refinement or revision. There is always a move, a judgment of that move, and then an answering move."
- Wes Jones. "masking." MASKING (Santa Barbara, CA: Anacapa Studios, 2018) 12-14.
discipline mixed with some mezcal
a 3-0 changeup
playing within the mess
the conversation is never straightforward
a look, a stroke, a choice or placement
marching steadily from discovery to confirmation
reeling between surprise and disappointment
following uneven steps to inspiration
move quickly and continuously
not stop and start with time between
a game plan of sorts
a show and go
offense oriented
ship some things ahead of time
oversized paper
a local Home Depot
stop thinking
three rolls
all different
post facade = doubt
between figurative and abstraction
figurative as abstract
abstract as figurative
ambiguous and doubtful
wanders gracefully
instead of jarringly
painting fuzziness
an abstraction that could be not
who knows what will happen…
Show Sponsor:
Lucky Bucket Brewing Co.
Photos Courtesy of Dan Schwalm
Wes Jones studio visit in Los Angeles, CA:
Photos Courtesy of Mike Nesbit
Email conversations with Joachim Castañeda regarding this exhibition:
About the Artist:
Wes Jones is a partner in Jones, Partners: Architecture. Jones’ work has been exhibited widely and can be found in the permanent collections of major museums around the world. Princeton Architectural Press has published two monographs of his work, El Segundo and Instrumental Form. A third volume, tentatively titled Alameda, is in the works. A recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, and Arts and Letters Award in Architecture from the American Academy of the Arts and Letters, Jones has been named one of the 30 Most Admired Educators in the country in the Design Intelligence Survey of Architectural Education. He currently teaches in the graduate architecture program at the University of Southern California.
Wes Jones is a partner in Jones, Partners: Architecture. Jones’ work has been exhibited widely and can be found in the permanent collections of major museums around the world. Princeton Architectural Press has published two monographs of his work, El Segundo and Instrumental Form. A third volume, tentatively titled Alameda, is in the works. A recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, and Arts and Letters Award in Architecture from the American Academy of the Arts and Letters, Jones has been named one of the 30 Most Admired Educators in the country in the Design Intelligence Survey of Architectural Education. He currently teaches in the graduate architecture program at the University of Southern California.