Carrick Hill Presents The Art of Dee Jones

Continuing their 30th anniversary celebrations, Carrick Hill presents The Art of Dee Jones, from 2 August until 2 October - a memorial show to honour this important South Australian artist.

Dee Jones (1933-2017) was known for her bright and colourful representations of genre subjects. More than 30 works are featured in the exhibition, drawing from the collections of Carrick Hill, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and private collectors. The exhibition will feature works on paper, as well as landscapes, portraits, still life and genre subjects along with sketchbooks, photographs and artist accoutrements.

Dee Jones' work depicted the people, events, and landscape around her. The considered interpretations, often labelled naïve, developed a complexity that is not always immediately apparent. Jones was a quietly formidable artist, whose distinctive style and acute observations brought an understated sophistication to her art. She painted very personal works, courageously and eloquently revealing her life and her pain.

Her sitters include Barry Humphries and Ron Radford, while the Fleurieu Peninsula, Greece, France and Italy feature prominently in her landscapes. Jones exhibited widely in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide and recently featured in Carrick Hill's Spot the Dog Exhibition.

As a child, Dee Jones spent time in the Port Willunga area, where her uncle had a house. She became acquainted with the works of celebrated South Australian artists Ivor Hele, Kathleen Sauerbier, and Horace Trenerry.

In the 1950s Jones married and moved to McLaren Vale where she raised her children. She involved herself in the local community from where she drew her initial inspiration for her paintings. Her house in McLaren Vale, on the Fleurieu tourist wine trail, became a centre for artists and writers visiting from overseas and the resident community's winemakers.

Dee Jones studied at Flinders University and the Adelaide Central School of Art, where she also had a studio. She exhibited around Australian in solo and group exhibitions, festivals and art prizes. Dee Jones had two works accepted for display in the 1969 Sir John Sulman Prize, and was awarded a grant by the Visual Arts/Crafts Board of the Australia Council to paint in Castellina, Italy.

Exhibition dates: 2 August to 2 October 2017

Admission: $17 Adult, $12 Concession, $36 Family

Tickets may be purchased at the main entry to the house. Admission to the grounds is free.

Carrick Hill, 46 Carrick Hill Drive, Springfield
open Wednesday to Sundays and Public Holidays 10.00 am to 4:30 pm.