RANCE JONES
La Vida Brava – Cuba Today
Cover, detail of Yellow, 2022
RANCE JONES
La Vida Brava – Cuba Today
April 27 – June 9, 2023
Oon my return to Cuba in May, 2022, as the pandemic imposed even greater restrictions on the people there, I wasn’t sure how I would capture facial expressions and emotion hidden behind a veil of face masks. Cubans are out-going and gregarious people. They are expressive to say the least and wearing face masks seemed to be especially hard for them. It was painful not to see the endearing smiles of children as they walked to school, and a struggle to hear the aging voice of Luis Martinez, Trinidad’s beloved poet, muffled behind a frayed cloth mask. My plan for this trip was to slow down my pace and when possible, allow each exchange to open the door to friendship and trust. It turned out to be one of the best experiences I could have hoped for. I learned more about my friends in Cuba than I ever would have if it had not been for the cumbersome nature of this remarkable time in history. It was “un regalo,” a gift.
Israel Gonz Á les was trying to climb through the window of his home in a poor neighborhood in the southern Cuban city of Trinidad. An extremely handsome and fit man in his eighties, half Spanish and half Chinese, he had locked himself out of his flat. Observing this scene from the street, I jokingly yelled, “Robber! Thief!” We laughed together, and from that moment on, a lasting and endearing friendship ensued. Subsequent trips always included visits filled with loving Cuban hospitality and graciousness. Even though he was extremely poor, he opened his home to me with overflowing generosity. He lived his life with resilience, fortitude, happiness, and hope. Always showing us a positive spin on an otherwise sad and precarious situation.
I became aware of Rance Jones’ watercolors after he purchased my book Vanishing Cuba. We soon discovered
Each person I captured in photos was a testament to the resilience and courage that is so prevalent there. And if not for the help of dear friends like Gio “Choli” Guerra from Trinidad, who has been my guide and Cuban brain for the last several years, Cuba would be a confusing, foreign country.
On the last leg of my trip, I had been invited to visit an art school in Havana, Academia de Bellas Artes San Alejandro. My friend Arnays Pérez, an instructor there, proudly showed me around. The faculty and students were kind and full of energy and passion for art. By then, there was an added sense of optimism. There were hopeful signs that the pandemic was starting to loosen its grip all around the world, even in Havana. In a rare moment, hope felt genuine. I’m grateful to have spent those days in Cuba.
—Rance Jones
the affinity we both had for Cuba and the Cuban people. A friendship quickly ensued. Our similar experiences brought us even closer on our Cuba journeys. Rance’s richly detailed, figurative paintings set a new standard for me. I’m mesmerized by the emotions they evoke and the authenticity they represent. He has a way of capturing the love, spirit, and resilience of the Cuban people.
—Michael Chinnici Photographer,
author, and Creative Director, Chinnici.com
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Michael has made 28 trips to Cuba and is the author and photographer of the highly acclaimed photo storytelling book Vanishing Cuba. Note: Israel González sadly died during the Covid-19 pandemic.
25 x 21 inches
Cariño, 2023
Watercolor on paper
12 x 10 1/2 inches
Illusion, 2021
Watercolor on cold press paper
Calling, 2021
Watercolor on paper
32 x 25 inches
(Following page, detail)
12 1/2 x 10 inches
Rooster, 2022
Watercolor on paper
Outside In, 2022
Watercolor on paper
21 x 25 inches
Watercolor on cold press paper
12 x 10 1/2 inches
Paraguas Rosa, 2021
25 x 31 inches
(Following page, detail)
Seres Humanos, 2022
Watercolor on paper
Close to the Heart, 2022
Watercolor on paper
12 1/2 x 10 inches
The Throw, 2021
12 1/2 x 10 inches
Watercolor on paper
Pink Kitchen, 2022
Watercolor on paper
25 x 21 inches
12 1/2 x 10 inches
Siren Tattoo, 2021
Watercolor on paper
31 1/2 x 25 inches
(Following spread, detail of Cariño, 2023)
Yellow, 2022
Watercolor on paper
RANCE JONES
born : Lubbock, Texas, 1965
education:
1993 MFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
1988 BFA, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
solo exhibitions:
2023 La Vida Brava–Cuba Today, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
2020 The Lingering Revolution, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
2017 La Vida de una Montana, Worrell Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2015 100% Irish, Gallery@1300, Dallas, TX Inheritance, Worrell Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2013 Worrell Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Retrospective, Park Family Center for the Arts, Plano, TX
Momentous, Gallery@1300, Dallas, TX
2012 Agridulce, Kerr Arts Cultural Center, Kerrville, TX
2011 Exploration and Observation, Park Family Center for the Arts, Plano, TX
group exhibitions and awards:
2022 Important Works of American Art, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
2021 Then and Now: American Social Realism, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
Drawing inspiration, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
2020 First Impressions: New Works and New Acquisitions, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
International Watercolor Masters, Lilleshall, England
2019 Person to Person, Forum Gallery, New York, NY
Fabriano in Acquarello, Fabriano, Italy
152nd International Exhibition, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY
2018 Figure/Portrait 2018, Richeson 75, Richeson School of Art and Gallery, Kimberly, WI, Best in Show
Southwestern Watercolor Society, Dallas, TX, Presidents Award
ARC Salon International, Port Reading, NJ, Finalist
California Watercolor Association, San Francisco, CA
2017 American Artist Professional League, New York, NY, Finalist
Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, TX
California Watercolor Association, San Francisco, CA
Irving Arts Center, Irving, TX, First Place
ARC Salon International, Port Reading, NJ
Wildlife Exhibition, Richeson 75, Richeson School of Art and Gallery, Kimberly, WI
2016 American Artists Professional League, New York, NY, Honorable Mention
New England Watercolor Society, Boston, MA
ARC Salon International, Port Reading, NJ, Finalist
2016 The Hunting Art Prize, Houston, TX, Finalist
Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, Denver, CO, Best of Show
American Artist Professional League, New York, NY, Best of Show
2015 California Watercolor Association, San Francisco, CA
Art of the Heartland, American Art Collector, Scottsdale, AZ, Editor’s Choice Award
Southwestern Watercolor Society, Dallas, TX, Daler-Rowney Award
2014 The Hunting Art Prize, Houston, TX, Finalist
Southwestern Watercolor Society, Dallas, TX, Jack Richeson Award
SVA Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY
ARC Salon International, Port Reading, NJ, Finalist
2013 Southwestern Watercolor Society, Dallas, TX, First Place
Arte de Los Brazos, Possum Kingdom, TX, Featured Artist
Watermedia Showcase, Blue Ash, OH, Honorable Mention
2012 The Hunting Art Prize, Houston, TX, Finalist
Society of Watercolor Artist, Fort Worth, TX, Second Place
2011 Watermedia Showcase, Blue Ash, OH, Fourth Place
National Watercolor Society, San Pedro, CA, Winsor-Newton Award
Society of Watercolor Artist, Fort Worth, TX, Best of Show
Kathryn Heard-Craig Exhibition, McKinney, TX, Mastery of Media Award
2010 Southwestern Watercolor Society, Dallas, TX, Noted Artist Award
publications and articles:
Hyperrealism, Thames & Hudson, 2023
Watercolor Artist, Fort Collins, CO, Summer 2023
NPR, April 2021
Southwest Art, Golden, CO, December 2020
American Watercolor, Boca Raton, FL, October 2020
Creative Boom, England & Wales, September 2020
Life’s Prism, September 2020
Fine Art Connoisseur, Boca Raton, FL, September 2020
Fine Art Connoisseur, Boca Raton, FL, November-December 2018
Voyage Dallas Magazine, Dallas, TX, August 2018
Western Art Collector, Scottsdale, AZ, August 2016
Techniques in Watercolor, Tsinghua University Press, China, 2015
Watercolor Artist, Fort Collins, CO, June 2015
American Art Collector, Scottsdale, AZ, May 2015
Dallas Art Review, Dallas, TX, January 2015
Western Art Collector, Scottsdale, AZ, June 2014
Watercolor Artist, Fort Collins, CO, February 2013
Southwest Art, Golden, CO, April 2013
Southwest Art, Golden, CO, April 2012
Watercolor Artist, Fort Collins, CO, February 2012
American Artist: Watercolor, New York, NY, Fall 2011
