About | Phil D. Jones, Artist

Short Bio

Phil Jones’ current interest in fiber art began in 1990 when he created several panels for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. He then began making art quilts—intended as wall hangings, as opposed to the traditional bed quilt—as a broader creative pursuit. Having learned to sew on his grandmother’s treadle sewing machine when he was 5 years old, Phil pursued clothing construction starting in his late teens. It was natural, then, to make the transition to using fiber as an expressive medium in adulthood.

Statement

I am enthralled with the animated line, so I abstain from rulers, straight edges and templates. I cut freely and directly into fabrics, using only my eye as a guide. I love unexpected color shifts and gradations, as well as high contrast color combinations. I love fabrics and surface design and love putting them together in some sort of composition driven only by my intuition.

Biography

Phil’s interest in art began in his teens. After studying the Impressionist masters in school, he spent a summer in Europe as an exchange student. During this time, he had the opportunity to gain exposure to many other art genres. He has been influenced by the Western art world, as well as through his studies of Eastern Asian and indigenous art forms. He has undertaken extended studies of traditional as well as non-traditional art and craft forms.

Employing various surface design techniques—including hand-dyeing and painting—Jones’ work is implemented with textiles and fibers using a combination of hand and machine methods. Working in series, Jones explores ideas and themes in his medium. As a crossover artist, he experiments with fine art aesthetics and techniques through a traditional craft medium.

Resume / CV

Phil Jones' work has been featured in 12 solo exhibits and 140 group exhibits, including 6 international shows in other countries. He is a veteran in the art quilt world showing in various well-known venues, including:

Quilt National, Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, OH;

Quilt 21, The Brush Art Gallery, Lowell, MA;

Art Quilts at the Sedgwick, Sedgwick Cultural Center, Philadelphia, PA;

Crafts National, University Park, PA;

Fine Fiber; Art for the 21st Century, Friends of Fiber Art International, Chicago, Il.

Phil’s work has also exhibited at the U.S. Embassy, Bridgetown, Barbados and the U.S. Ambassadorial Mission, Pristina, Kosovo, on loan to the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program.

Jones’ work is part of many public art collections, including:

U.S. Embassy, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Africa;

U.S. Embassy, Conakry, Republic of Guinea, Africa;

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum’s Art Quilt Collection, Golden, CO;

Boys & Girls Club of Topeka, KS;

Center for Leadership Studies, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS;

Arts Council of Topeka, Topeka, KS;

Multnomah County Children’s Receiving Center, Portland, OR;

Convention & Visitor’s Center, City of Overland Park, KS;

Hadley Foundation for Hays Regional Medical Center, Hays, KS;

Lied Center at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS;

Commerce Bank, Topeka, KS; and

The Walker Art Collection, Garnett, KS, as well as many private collections.

Phil’s work has been featured over 40 publications including American Craft, Fiberarts, Quilter’s Newsletter, Surface Design Journal, and Quilting Arts magazines, as well as several recent book publications and “Kansas Arts Today,” short feature on Smoky Hills Public Television.