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Russ Jones

@russjones__

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Artist | London
Identity, freedom and control
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Is this supposed to be art? #art #installation #installationart #abstractart #conceptualart by @russjones__
Everyone says elephants never forget a face, but what they don’t tell you is that you never forget an elephant. Hathi 50 x 40 cm Ivory, oil on raw linen 2024 This painting is created from pigments reclaimed from ivory over 140 years old. Originally carved from the tusks of animals whose lives were taken for their aesthetic appeal and spiritual value, the ivory was shaped into piano keys, enduring decades of use before the instruments fell silent. These pieces of the past were collected, ground, and transformed into the pigments in this work. There’s a weight to working with such material, a sense of responsibility. It’s about honoring what was lost, respecting both the beauty and the darkness in how these objects came to be. Some may say it’s presumptuous to think that making art from these remnants somehow redeems their history, but I see it as a way to honor the cycle of life. I would never take another life to create this. I would never kill an animal for art. But given what remains, this is my way to hold onto something sacred. This piece now belongs to someone who I believe truly understands what it means to respect life and death alike and who works tirelessly to contribute to future generations with vision and compassion. I create only a few black pieces a year. Most, I keep. But this one was special. It had to go to the home it found by @russjones__
If you're watching this in 2026, I hope you have the most amazing day today. If you're with friends or by yourself I hope you remember how special you are and how amazing this world can be! You're awesome, so keep being awesome. Dance like no one's watching. Kiss like you'll never kiss again. Much love. Follow along for more by @russjones__
When I think about men and their fear of the power of women, it’s often because they realise that deep down they’re powerless to it. In many ways, men are simpler beings that rely on logic to find comfort. We build so much structure because we’re scared of losing control to the unknowns of life, and it’s easy for us, because much of the danger we never have to face, unless we go to war. A woman has to face those fears a lot earlier. That fierce love of a child that only a mother experiences, the moment she realises her body is commodified in the marketplace of male desire. We don’t get access to that space. There is simply more at stake, so they have to see further and perceive deeper. I grew up with my mom, and if there’s one thing she helped me understand, it’s that. What a woman knows from that, I will never be able to understand. It’s a compass for what I don’t know. HGLA 152 #artistfieldnotes #howmenseewomen #gesso #oilpainters #idontknowwhatimdoing by @russjones__
For the last 100 days I’ve been trying to focus my hardest on shoring up the business side of my work. What’s weird is some of the most stable business relationships, or those with potential for revenue, left during the first half. Scary, but now I’m here, I can see a lot clearer. I’ve spent the back half going out and meeting new people. I didn’t expect that’s what I’d be doing at this time of year, and maybe I’m doing it wrong. But I think every change in life brings in a new set of characters. I’ve even managed to do some love interviews, which is kind of crazy because I didn’t think I had access to that space anymore. I’ve had new people join the studio, which I’m super grateful for. There’s still loads of work to do and I haven’t quite figured out how I best integrate into London. After looking around over the last month, I’m sure there’s something different in the studio to what I’m seeing outside. Some better, some worse. I don’t know if it’s got the same sort of value that the art world asks for. What I do know is that the people joining the journey now are in for a great ride. There’s this beautiful feeling I sometimes look for, a little like when you’re cutting wrapping paper and the scissors just glide through to the other side. That’s the feeling I want when I’m moving around and making art. If I can focus on that feeling and get the direction right, it goes somewhere fruitful for me and everyone involved. Where it snags is when I start looking too hard at where I’m going instead of staying in that moment. A spiritual friend pointed out that when your life’s in a spiral, the way to fix it is becoming self-aware and critical. Equally when you’re on the up, once you start drinking your own Kool-Aid and celebrating, the run stops. I don’t know what that means for me now. And I don’t really care, because I’m enjoying where I’m at, and I plan on staying here because it’s a beautiful feeling sharing this with the people around me. It’s winter and life can be tough. If you’re going through a rough patch, just know it’s going to end. It always does. I love you loads, Russ x #gesso #conceptualartist #londonartists #colorfieldpainting #spirituality by @russjones__
FED: WANTED BTS I run a dinner night every month with a different game. 🎬: @steph_tauszik by @russjones__
HGLA #150 Thinking about how culture and language affect one another. Language is an established and effective way of communicating between two bodies through a medium. To better communicate the bodies should adapt both their language and their skill in communicating via the medium. This affects both bodies, and can affect them outside of this area of communication. Often we communicate to gain resource that the other body has access to, language is a trade of energy. While the trade is often beneficial especially if there is high communication and good language that is clear, the effects of the language on the body are seldom investigated. Art and fashion have always been friends. Jealous cousins. They seem to be talking a lot more at the moment. The trade will be interesting to watch in both industries. Art sleeps around. It has a lot of faces. It changed a lot when the NFT boom happened. It doesn’t tell anyone about that phase. It lost itself a little. Maybe that’s why it’s scared of the AI guys now. This week I enjoyed dinner, new friends, making videos, painting. Rest of the newsletter is in the normal spot Peace 🥕 by @russjones__
“What did you see?” “The addiction of winning. And the extent people will go to to do that. Them tuning into those villainistic traits, to undercut and undermine people. And who embraced it, and who didn’t care for it.” On Saturday twenty-two people came to my studio dressed as gangsters. WANTED was the sixth FED dinner, a series I’ve been running as a way of exploring my practice with my friends and people I’d like to meet in an environment that is more interesting than a coffee spot or restaurant. I like food. I like experiences. And a lot of my work is creating situations that allow us to explore who we are as humans. What I wanted to see was the darker side of trade. I wanted extortion. I wanted a racket. I wanted someone holding someone against their will for money. Game money, sure, but if you can create that in a two-hour period, the game wins. It’s good. It works. We get to see a different side of ourselves. Continued on newsletter Peace by @russjones__
FED: Wanted S01E06 I’ve been mixing my installation and research work with my social dinners. They say you shouldn’t mix work and play. They have boring jobs. by @russjones__
Newsletter out now. Ideas on how consensus reality and culture work together, fashion and art collaborations and how the world organises itself around agreements. Maybe. Might need another swing at this one, will let you know. . . . . #gesso #londonartists #writingaboutart #artistswithpens #artwriting by @russjones__
The studio has always been an extension of the artist. You walk inside and you begin to get a feel for what the creature that works there is. It’s not all evident, but it’s clear. I’m generally shy, so I keep all my best work and thoughts in here, I feel like everyone does that, but the studio is a good place to see my world. I cut back on visits this year but I’m opening up the doors again soon. Hopefully get to meet more amazing humans, and show you all how deep the rabbit hole goes. . . . . #studiovisits #londonartists #conceptualartist by @russjones__
Life since sunset by @russjones__

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