I love stumbling across Canadian artists who paint my home and native land like a character being captured on canvas. Stewart Jones is just such an artist. His dramatic perspectives of the streets of Toronto not only transport me into the middle of each scene {with the audible clang of streetcars going by}, but they depict something of the personality of this city that I love to call home.

Stewart‘s work really feels like stories on canvas to me. Less taken with major landmarks, Jones seems to focus on side streets and alleys that would otherwise go unnoticed, capturing in their essence something of the secret story of the city. I want to know who lives up that alley, who just took a walk down that street with their sweetheart, and what were they talking about? Who makes these streets come alive with the hum and electricity that makes Toronto so unique? It’s almost as though Jones’ paintings are figurative, the city as his subject, and he invites us to explore the depth and breadth of all she has to say to us.

If you live in the city, my guess is Stewart Jone‘s paintings will inspire you to look around each corner and down each quiet street in search of inspiration. Whatever city you call home today, I invite you to take on an adventurer’s spirit. Allow yourself to become awake and alive to the stories taking place all around you. Take note of the gleam of sunlight dancing on the street as you walk by. Listen for the hum and heartbeat of your city. And savour this day for all the life it holds. You just never know what inspiration might await you around the next corner.

xo
s.