The City of Logan never ceases to amaze with the amount of talent that is within the city limits and artist Caleb Jones is one of those who has a skill for telling a story with paintings.
This Easter, Caleb will be holding his first exhibition at the Rhema Family Church in Springwood showcasing his collection of paintings and visual displays which illustrate key parts of the Easter story from the perspective of Jesus.
The pieces have been developed from a first-person perspective, rather than that of a bystander, giving attendees a deeper insight into Jesus’ experience. The collection begins at Palm Sunday and continues through to the resurrection.
The free exhibition opens on April 1 and goes over three days of Easter with an open invitation to everyone. It is expected that the gallery will take approximately 30-45 minutes to walk through.
The man behind the artwork is vast with experience and he sat down to talk more about who he is what his artwork means.
Caleb Jones 28 years old and completed a Bachelor of Counselling before working as a Youth Worker for a not-for-profit organisation supporting young people. Caleb and his wife Chauntelle have led a youth ministry in their local church for a number of years and have ministered locally and abroad in Papua New Guinea, South America, Eastern Europe and South Korea.
What was the inspiration behind the artwork?
Whenever I’ve visited galleries and exhibitions, I’ve been drawn to the pieces that shift my perspective and force me to consider something in a different way. I find the power art has to provoke revelations both exciting and exhilarating. My hope is that people who are familiar with the Easter story view this collection and are surprised by the number of intricacies they had never before considered.
How did you come up with the idea of painting in this perspective?
I start every painting by imagining the scene from multiple viewpoints. I’ve found that this helps me to capture the essence of a story more fully. As a visual learner, I have always applied the same process when reading text. As I read passages of the Easter story a couple of years ago, I was picturing what Jesus would have seen from his angle and started to wonder how that could look in a creative display.
What does this exhibition mean to you?
This is my first exhibition as an artist and so it is an incredibly special experience for me. I have sold many paintings to individual customers, but never had a collection on display like this before. I have always loved visiting art galleries as a patron (a personal favourite is MONA is Tasmania), and I have greatly admired pieces by hundreds of other artists. This exhibition feels like my chance to give back to the community for all the inspiration and enjoyment I’ve received from others’ work.
Why is supporting the New Hope for Children Orphanage in Nepal special to you?
When I was 17 years old, I travelled to Eastern Europe and volunteered in a number of orphanages. I was completely touched by the generous work of those in developing countries, who sacrifice so much themselves. I have since taken 8 more trips to orphanages around the world, meeting beautiful children, each with stories of such pain and heartache. I could not imagine a more worthy cause to donate all proceeds of this exhibition to, then to support those who have so little, yet are the most positive and inspiring people I know.
Have you displayed your artwork elsewhere before?
While this is my first exhibition, I was privileged to display two of my works in the 2020 TSS Art Show on the Gold Coast. I also have a number of pieces currently on display in local cafes in Logan City.
Tell us something about you that is interesting.
• The exhibit aims to engage the audience in a number of ways. For example, there will be a live painting on one day, a gift shop with handmade trinkets and a children’s activity to cater to the whole family.
• My favourite piece in the collection is ‘Triumphal Entry’ (attached) because of the deep, earthy colour palette and the intimacy of the angle. It is an incredibly significant moment and catalyst of the Easter story.
• I have created a replica of the Roman ‘cat o’ nine tails’ whip that will be on display in the exhibition. This was the most challenging piece to develop as I found the research around historical torture methods quite confronting and extremely barbaric.
The Easter Experience exhibition runs 1st April, 6pm-9pm (Opening Night), 2nd April, 10am-9pm (Good Friday) and 3rd April, 10am-3pm (Easter Saturday) at Rhema Family Church, 19 Tolmer Place, Springwood.
