Worlds Thru Ink, The Art Of Ron Jones

©2008. Worlds Thru Ink, Ron Jones
Date Completed: 2000
Original Size: 18x24"
Frame: n/a
Price of Original: SOLD
Contact the artist regardingcustom print types, sizes and prices

ARTIST'S DESCRIPTION OF PIECE
2000

Psalms 148: 3-4
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise him, ye Heavens of Heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

After completing the 2 previous Chapters "Drift" and "Gatekeeper" I had come to a major turning point in my life. These 2 Chapters are my only drawings in the entire year of 1999 and they defined the end of the radical, messed-up life of RJ. I completed them in January and February of ’99 and didn’t have the strength or the ideas to continue any more works.

I had decided to move out of an apartment in a ‘not so positive’ area of Vancouver in February of ‘99 just after the completion of "Gatekeeper". I had quit my job at Wafer Tech under the false pretense that I had a better job waiting somewhere else. I then moved into the arms of my Mom believe it or not. A 28-year old lost child I was, begging for the life of love and happiness and forgiveness. The road I had traveled so far was so extremely unpredictable that I was searching for calm and direction. I found it in the heart of my family.

Over the next few months my heart began to soften. I had not been into drugs enough to actually go through any with drawls, but I was definitely separating from the core destructive values that I held so dear for so long. Living with my mother and stepfather placed tremendous direction in my unpredictability. I was now attending church every Sunday and began understanding why I was attending this Ridgefield Methodist Church of my teen years. It’s where I had met Chapter #5, "Destiny". It is also the place where I gave an official goodbye to Destiny. There was something about this church that identified with me and so I paid close attention to it’s calling.

As for the ink pen it was still gathering dust in the basement of my parents home.

Then in May of this same year I met a girl at work named Sarah Vader. She had the qualities like no other that I had ever met. Her personality was extremely quiet and unselfish. She had very little of a past to tell yet what she did share with me opened my heart like never before. During the summer of our courtship I was falling deeply in love with her and I was so scared of what she would think of me as my past came out in story after story. Turns out that she was falling for me as well. She admitted it by stating early in our relationship that she never wanted to have kids and then 4 months later, after getting to know one another inside and out, she told me that she would have my child. I asked for her hand in marriage while picking blackberries on October 5th, 1999. She replied instantly with a “Yes”. 2 weeks later I had started drawing again. During those 2 weeks we also found out that Sarah was pregnant and expecting our child the following June. We set a wedding date for her 21st birthday on February 20th, 2000. This is the link to our email address: millenium21@comcast.net

The original ink drawing that I had started working on was actually the next Chapter, "Circles Under Christ". My thoughts were entirely linked to the sphere. There was the family circle that had saved my life. Then of course the engagement ring that defined a “Yes” instead of a no. I was tuning myself back into a walk with God.

Then I made a mistake.

The very first unrecoverable mistake I had made within an original ink drawing. Although I was tuning myself back to a life of Christ and faithful direction I was still trying to control that direction. God’s plan is always otherwise. Below is the image of the area within "Circles Under Christ" that resembles what I defined as a mistake. The actual unwanted line images can only be seen in the original drawing. Whew!

The area that is inked out entirely black contains the line work that just wasn’t working for me. I also smeared some of the ink within this line work. More details will be explained in the next Chapter #11.

I have no unfinished originals. These are chapters in my life so I can’t just trash it. What was I going to do?

Well, my lovely fiancé realized my dilemma and advised me to calm down. So calm down I did. I started a totally new drawing to help me get my thoughts back on track.

Designing and completing "Calming the Waters" was the best therapy for the situation. This original allowed me to focus my thoughts back to the core of my being, which in this line of Gateways is Chapter #3, "The Response". My focus point is shown in this image to the right taken from "Calming the Waters". I viewed the focus point as the sight of a weapon. A little this way or a little that way and the end result could be totally off target.

The link to Chapter #3, "The Response", is in the checkerboard pattern I used to help me with the focus point as seen in the image to the left. It’s the same pattern used to define the significance of the cross in "The Response".

I also created the border in representation of a cave. My soul had been trapped in a dark cave for so long and I was now trying to escape this darkness. This image also contains my first experiment with how to create water with an ink pen. I wasn’t too sure, but the result turned out ok as seen below.

Another calming aspect is the sunset and the moonrise on the horizon as if one is sitting on the beach in total relaxation.

I was also looking for calm given that I work in the microelectronics computer industry and there were all these issues surrounding Y2K readiness. I was expecting my first child. We were planning a wedding. My thoughts were still a little scattered for sure but at least I had direction. I knew what was next and where I was going. This is also the first original within the Gateways collection to which I attached an actual scripture. This helps me define the fact that I’m gaining my senses back and re-acquainting my soul to the original reasons why I became an artist.

I finally completed this piece in January 2000. With Sarah by my side my life was now connected again to purpose and slowly I was beginning to again walk in the ways of a dedicated Christian.