Much has been made of the famous Jones family – three generations of internationally renowned painters from Tidewater, Virginia. Patriarch Herb, son Louis, daughter-in-law Susan and grandson Ryan, have sold their original paintings and limited edition prints around the world, and are revered by galleries, museums, and art patrons alike. They are an unusually tight-knit family. Louis, Susan, Ryan and his wife, Melinda, own and operate the Jones Art Gallery located at Town Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They are the “real deal”. They are artists. Their passion and enthusiasm is inspirational and contagious to their many fans worldwide.
Louis, Susan and Ryan have enjoyed great success and recognition on an international level. Collectively they have sold over 500,000 of their limited edition prints as well as countless original paintings. Their images have appeared on the covers or frontispieces of 9 New York Times Bestsellers for many prominent authors including John Grisham, Ian McEwan and Neale Donald Walsch. In total, they have received credit in over 100 million books for their artwork. Their images have been used in two major motion pictures and they have received hundreds of television and press stories throughout the years.
The Jones Art legacy began in Norfolk, Virginia in the 1950s when patriarch Herb Jones, now deceased, decided to pursue his art career full time. His passion, dedication and hard work led him to achieve that goal, selling over 500,000 of his limited edition prints during his lifetime and thousands of his original paintings. He was awarded over 350 awards for his artwork during his career and he went on to become one of the most successful and notable artists from the Tidewater region of Virginia.
Herb’s son, Louis Jones, was instilled with his father’s passion for painting and began his art career at the age of 8, working alongside his father in his art studio. Louis’ entire existence, then and now, revolved around art and music. He met his wife, Susan Jones, while performing in concert, with his band at Virginia Wesleyan College. He thought, “She was beautiful”. She “pretended to be unimpressed”. Susan has always been an artist, but became fully committed after meeting Louis. They would later marry and pursue their art careers as a team, launching the Jones Art Gallery, located in Virginia Beach. Their only child, son Ryan Jones, was also born with an innate talent for painting. He began painting at 1-½ years old. “Ryan was communicating in paint before he could communicate in words”.
The Jones Art gallery/studio is a warm and inviting place to visit, where most days of the week, you have the unique opportunity to meet and talk with one or more of the Joneses. Their colorful and bold paintings visually explode off of the walls of their industrial-inspired gallery.
“We’ve found that if we paint the things we love, others respond in the same spirit. We’re a lot like you. We love the colors of early spring; a soft breeze off the ocean; the sun setting over the bay. Our art is our greatest passion and joy”.