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H-Town Rock
Rock Talk, Vol. IX
Native Houstonian Sam Jones IV may not have a traditional route as to how he got his start in art, but it's definitely a unique story. The mixed media artist sat down and talked with us about his experiences growing up in Houston, and how living in the South has impacted his artistic career.
You have a pretty "uniquely-Houston" story as to how you got your start in your art education. Most people don't think about the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as producing artists. Can you tell us about that experience?
I grew up in Houston and as a junior high and high school student the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo art competition was a great opportunity to have your work juried and displayed. My senior year I was given an award for a sculpture I entered in the competition. It was a great feeling to see my work displayed in a gallery setting and the experience played a large role in me becoming an artist.
Much of your body of work has a distinct Spanish or Native American feel. How did this evolve?
I was fortunate as a youth that I had parents and grandparents that liked to travel to West Texas and New Mexico for summer vacations. I would return from the trips and immediately began to paint from the sketches I had made and the photos I had taken. The warm colors and rough textures I saw in the people and the land still show up in my work today.
You attribute much of your influences to growing up and living in Texas. How do you feel this has affected your style of painting, and subject matter?
Growing up in Texas with its diverse culture influenced my art very early through my choice of colors. I have always been drawn to warm colors, specifically red, which has dominated many of my paintings for over twenty years.
Texture seems to play a big role in your technique. Is that conscious? And how did that develop?
I work with a lot of “dry” mediums (charcoal, pastels, etc..) and early on I discovered that mixing gesso with ground pumice and then applying it to panels would give me the heavy texture I needed for my pieces.
You have commented that music has an impact on your painting. Is it always a part of your creative process? How does it affect your art?
Until five years ago most of my work fell into one of two categories, landscapes or architectural subjects. It was around this time I began to listen to Latin Jazz while I painted, the music opened up the idea of movement within my art and few weeks later my first dance painting was complete.
Can you tell us about your dance series, and your experience with the Texas Challenge Ballroom Dance competition?
While working on my first dance painting I stumbled into what would later be my mixed-media technique I use for my dance series. During the painting process I had unintentially applied the oil paint for the background to thin and as it began to drain down through the texture on my canvas my new style was revealed. A year later and a lot of painting I was displaying my new dance paintings at an art show in San Antonio when a lady approached me and ask if had ever shown my art at a ballroom dance competition. I did a little research the next week and contacted the promoters of Texas Challenge and they invited me to show my work the next month at their event. The show was an enormous success and the promoters even licensed one of my paintings for all their promotional activities.
You attended UH for your business degree. How has that helped the facilitation and management of your career as an artist?
Two of my favorite parts of being an artist are meeting new people and painting. Most days however that’s not what I’m doing as full-time artist. There is a business to run and that is where my business degree comes into play. You have to have more than the right side of your brain working on most days.
How did you get involved with the Bayou City Arts Festival, and what do you think a festival like this does for the art community in Houston?
This will be my second time to show at the Bayou City Arts Festival. My first show this past spring was amazing and the visitors and the volunteers were all wonderful so I am really excited about this coming weekend. I really think that the Festival provides the people of Houston with a fun way to embrace and be a part of the art community.
Do you feel it is getting more realistic for Texas artists to remain in Texas and find success in our own cities, as opposed to moving out of state to pursue projects?
I travel around the country a good deal to attend art shows and dance competitions so for me, even with the strong art communities in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, at this point in my career I need alternative venues.
Sam Jones IV will be showing his work this weekend at the Bayou City Arts Festival Downtown. He can be contacted at Sam@IVGallery.com, and you can check out more of his work on his website, www.IVGallery.com.
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