Katy Jones was born in Bristol in 1977. She now lives within easy reach of the Curry Mile in Manchester, UK, where she works as an artist and writer. Katy's images have been licensed for printing on mugs, candles and other merchandise, and she has illustrated a number of children's books. She has shown her work in group exhibitions in the UK and USA and sells original work and prints through her website at www.KatyJones.co.uk.
About her work, Katy says:
I usually describe myself as a fantasy artist, but I see fantasy more as a way of commenting on reality than escaping from it. A deep interest in folklore, myths and legends informs my work, but I like to present old stories in a new and vibrant way. Spirituality and nature are also important themes for me. They sometimes provide symbolic elements taken, for example, from the Bible or from traditional plant symbolism. I am often inspired by the stylised but organic forms found in Gothic architecture, Art Nouveau and celtic design. I like to work with acrylics, sometimes using translucent layers of paint and coloured pencils. This method allows me to build up my paintings gradually, making constant revisions, and gives greater depth to the final image. At other times I use my pyrography machine to burn designs into birch or sycamore wood, or sometimes leather. This is something like drawing, but pyrography has a more three dimensional quality. It's possible to burn quite deeply into wood, rather than just marking the surface.
