Max Jones at the Fechin
THE TAOS ART MUSEUM at Fechin House is hosting Max Jones for a solo exhibition titled “Generations” on view from May 24 through June 12 in the Fechin Studio. “Generations” is an amalgam of traditional and modern, honouring the life and legacy of Nicolai Fechin and Taos Artists of the past, present and future generations.
Jones created three collections for this exhibition which are unique to this event and have never been publicly presented before. There is an reception with libations and nibbles scheduled for Saturday, May 28, from noon to 2:00 pm in the Fechin Studio 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte.
Tempo invited the artist to talk about the exhibit, his inspirations and more. Here are the highlights.
Please talk about Generations, the inspiration, the process and timeline.
I have been working on this body of work for the last 3 months preparing 3 distinct collections. I worked in the studio on a daily basis which is my usual process anyway. I also had to keep producing pieces for my Taos gallery and my other gallery locations as well. I would create a piece for the show and a piece to sell, a piece for the show and a piece to sell. rinse and repeat.
What is your background, what brought you to Taos?
My husband and I owned an art gallery, design firm, and custom furniture showroom in Dallas for 16 years before relocating to Taos. My husband has been coming to Taos since he was 7 years old. About 11 years ago, we got a job designing the interior of a house in Pagosa Springs CO and decided to come through Taos on the way. We spent one night at the Taos Inn and I was hooked from the get go. At that point we started coming to visit Taos every 6 months. Each time I booked a house for our visit I would add a few days each time. Eventually we would visit for several weeks at a time. When our gallery lease was nearing completion in Dallas we decided it was time to move to Taos full-time and relocate our business here. We moved the first week of 2018 and opened our Taos gallery in March the same year.
Who, what, where inspires you?
Like most painters in Taos, of course I’m inspired by the light, color, and landscape of the high desert. Painters that influence my work depend on the series but some favourites are Frankenthaler, Rothko, Picasso, Rouault, Agnes Martin, and David Park.
What is your creative process? A day in the studio, your workflow.
I try to paint in the studio several hours each day. I am very prolific and produce several hundred paintings each year. 2021 was a record year for me. I sold over 500 paintings and somehow I was able to produce enough work to keep all gallery locations stocked. I usually just start a painting and see where it leads me but sometimes I paint an idea in my sketchbook. You will see some of the paintings from my sketchbook in the show. I also keep a few supplies at home in case I need to paint some “littles” after hours. I am not one to wait around for inspiration. I show up and paint every day and find that the inspiration usually hits once I start the process.
Please describe what it means to you to work intuitively.
For me, working intuitively means I start the process with an empty mind and let the piece evolve organically. This is especially true for the abstract pieces. I will just add a couple of brush strokes and establish the composition of the piece while painting. I will also blend colours directly on the painting instead of mixing colours in advance. The Maxterpiece Series is mainly about colour selection as the composition is pre-established. I custom blend every colour and each piece is unique in that I have never repeated the same exact colour combination on any two. For portraits and animal paintings, I like to look at old photos to start. Once I lay in the basic outline of the image it then becomes its own thing and I let the intuitive part of my brain take over until it feels complete.
Anything else important to know about the exhibit?
This is my first solo museum show and I’m forever grateful for this opportunity. By creating 3 separate collections, I’m hoping that there will be something for everyone to enjoy. My primary goal is to bring colour and joy to the viewer. I try not to take it too seriously and hope to bring a smile to a face or two.
For more details call (575) 758-2690 or visit taosartmuseum.org.