Mary Jones Discusses Artistic Process and X-Ray Portraits in Conversation with Brenda Zlamany

Mary Jones's solo exhibition "Proxima b" runs through November 26 at John Molloy Gallery. In a dialogue with artist Brenda Zlamany, Jones detailed her studio practice, which incorporates rollers, stencils, and found materials like feathered wallpaper and her late mother-in-law's X-rays. The conversation revealed Jones's layered approach, where initial images are repeatedly worked until form emerges. She described using rollers as physical drawing tools that both create and conceal process history. Stencils from past works, often featuring lotus motifs, are collaged into new pieces until depleted, functioning as finite connections to earlier creations. Jones's recent paintings reference artists like Hedda Sterne, whose Brooklyn Bridge painting inspired "Bridges for Hedda Sterne," and draw from color palettes reminiscent of Giorgio Morandi and Georgia O'Keeffe. While works like "Hover" evoke atmospheric landscapes, Jones clarified her focus is on movement and consciousness rather than specific terrain. A significant development involves X-ray portraits created through chemical reactions with bleach and acetone on medical films from the 1980s, producing unsettling figurative images that Jones then paints over. These works connect to Renaissance portraiture in composition and share alchemical qualities with Sigmar Polke's practice. Jones maintains a studio at Chelsea Arts Building, where she has worked for two decades.