Great-grandfather JON OLSSON
(circa 1920)
"The first syllable of my grandpa's last name told everyone that he was this man Jon's son."
By 1990 he had moved across the San Francisco Bay to a 2,000 sq. ft. studio on Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA. He remained there until 1995. At the Lake Merritt studio he produced the "The Doors", which feature eight abstractly painted doors about the effects of The Industrial Revolution on Planet Earth. He also produced
"The Tree of Knowledge..", an abstract surrealist painting with 22 separate Caran-d'Ache drawing. In 1991 Jonsson taught drawing and painting seminars to public school teachers through Phoenix University.
In 1995 Jonsson took a studio on the Jersey shore for a year. There he explored new directions in painting evidenced in works like "Male Religion" and "The First Supper" -- sexual and religious in nature.
Proximity to Manhattan allowed for reconnecting with former associates and he began the transition back into the Fine Arts arena. Entering a juried competition allowed him to be selected to exhibit in the first-ever CD-ROM virtual exhibition "Virtuosity" at the Park Avenue Armory on Park Avenue and East 66th Street in Manhattan. Over 10,000 artists worldwide entered the competion. 300 were chosen by judges and gallery owners Ivan Karp, Pamela Auchincloss and Allan Stone.
An Independent Artist, Jonsson has created large scale murals, abstract paintings, as well as realistic paintings and portraits for decades now. In addition, since 1991 he has exhibited in gallery and non-gallery shows in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Oakland, California, quite ususual for an artist straddling the Fine Arts and Design worlds.
His artwork combines the schools of realism, abstraction, surrealism, and drawing.The canvasses he currently paints are frequently only a fraction of the size of his wall paintings with some of the new work measuring a mere ten by twelve inches.
"When you use the energy it takes to create a highly realisitic mural and condense that energy down to the size of a small canvas, you get these incredibly strong paintings."
There is also a substantial 'secondary' body of work (in both Jonsson's personal collection and many more in private collections) which includes pencil and charcoal drawings, pen and inks, and custom-painted furnishings.
Jonsson is currently creating art in his Pacific Heights studio in San Francisco, California and elsewhere in the world. You can view his current online exhibition here and see archived art on the Video page.
Send questions or request information here
Curriculum Vitae here
He decided the best place to continue studying art was New York; the best school an even easier choice -- School of Visual Arts (SVA), a private art college which continues to offer great academic classes and an outstanding Fine Arts program. He attended SVA to complete his undergraduate work. Putting himself through school wasn't easy, working full time and carrying a full course load. Yet at SVA he learned the most important lesson of his artistic life - "if you want to succeed in the art world you have to give 200% of yourself". New York, of course, offered alot of "freedom, artistic stimulation and a very strong sense of community".
Around that time Jonsson was fortunate to be hired to assist an Interior Designer whose clients included the duPont's, Whitney's and vonStade's. Soon after he became acquainted with the Interior Design Industry by working at several prominent showrooms in Manhattan's noteworthy D&D (Design & Decoration) Building.
After studying Fine Art working in the Design World made it seem like he was going off course. In fact, it was actually prepartion for the career path that would soon emerge -- painting murals and canvasses.
Jonsson's first professional post-college mural, "The Interloper" (not pictured), was painted on-site at a penthouse apartment in the Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood.
Many works of art followed as his popularity grew, having prominent patrons in New York and Boston at that time. In 1987 he decided to move nearer to family, transplanting himself to a beautiful art studio in San Francisco. There he joined an exisiting atelier of Nob Hill painters and writers.
In San Francisco he founded a mural art company called Paintworks which offered murals, drawings, paintings, faux finishes and hand-painted furniture to wealthy patrons. He was the sole creative force of Paintworks and contracted a business/financial manager, videographer, and an outstanding project development team.
One of the earliest Paintworks projects was the Designer Showcase in Saratoga, California's Villa Montalvo (1989), where Jonsson and the team donated time and services in the creation of an artist's suite. Villa Montalvo still uses the suite as part of it's artist-in-residence program.
During this same period he began travelling to Europe, including but not limited to Paris, Montbron, Rome, Munich and Amsterdam. People love his art; he acquired many patrons there. He has produced realisitic and abstract paintings and drawings for his European clients for years now
Jonsson painting at the
Designer Showcase
at Villa Montalvo
PATRON: (noun) 1. One who protects, fosters, countenances or supports some person or thing: a protector or benefactor.
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Bio
THE ART
All images and text © 1985-2012 Eric Jonsson, All rights reserved.
U n i t e d S t a t e s E u r o p e S o u t h A m e r i c a A s i a
Thank you.
"Virtuosity" at Park Avenue Armory
Jonsson (b. 1957 - Silicon Valley) jokes that his art career began with his first "mural experience" at age 5 when he used Crayola crayons to transform his parent's living room wallpaper into a somewhat prehistoric looking mural.
When he was 8 years old his parents divorced and he, his mother and brother were literally thrown into poverty. "Childhood wasn't all bad though. I learned to create starting with nothing." He was very influenced by his father who trained astronauts for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space missions. During weekend trips to NASA Ames, he learned by example to use the power of imagination and to dream. His mother was also a big influence on his creative life because of her amazing imaginative abiilties. "She realized late in life that she was an artist. She was a huge supporter of all my artistic pursuits."
In The Arts higher education has almost always been a necessity. After studying Architecture and Drama at West Valley College in Saratoga, California. Jonsson transfered to Santa Monica College (by Venice Beach) where he was strongly advised by an art professor to "pursue an art career in Manhattan".
Begin long distance relationships with close, close friiends to pursue a dream. Passing up a dream could be even worse. Big choice.
j o n s s o n
