A note from the editor: This is a guest post by Dave Nolionsinengland of Shoreditch Street Art Tours. Few people know London’s street art and graffiti better than Dave, so I’m glad he’s offered to let us in on Jonesy. – RJ Rushmore
The single artist no one has ever heard of who most thrills guests on the Shoreditch Street Art Tours is Jonesy from East London.
Jonesy is not just about the good idea, it’s the good ideology, for he is committed to raising the alarm over the harm we do to our planet and our children’s future in our extraction of energy.
What really gets chins bouncing off the pavement is Jonesy’s execution, he commonly works in cast bronze with a level of detail, colour and beauty that is awe-inspiring.
The first Jonesy we see is the 2012 “Grieving Oil”, a stunning two coloured casting of a beaked bird mounted on top of a redundant sign post. However, there is often debate over whether this is a bird as it appears to have a mane and Jonesy sometimes uses mythological creatures to make his point.
Then come a series of small bronze dishes whose mounting on the walls at around chest height indicates supreme confidence in the strength of his adhesive, more than one visitor would have tried to pry the casting off the wall if there was any suggestion of weakness.
Jonesy’s sculptural enterprises don’t end with the fancy bronze, a few weeks ago off the beaten track on a tour we found a series of silvery figures cast into the ends of a partially demolished wall.
It looks like he made a mould and slapped some plaster onto the bricks, formed some gargoyle faces with the moulds then painted the end result silver. So long as artists are prepared to do this kind of installation, street art lives!
Jonesy also places original paintings on very heavy stock paper on the streets, again bleakly depicting the environmental Armageddon awaiting the environment.
This kind of work done with purpose, beauty and given to the people without seeking the permission of any property owners embodies the glorious spirit of raw and wild street art.
Photos by Dave Nolionsinengland