Jonathan Small

Biography

Born and raised in Wayland, Mass., for the past twentyfive years Jonathan Small has resided on Aquidneck Island in the state of Rhode Island.  For as long as he can remember, Jonathan has been creating art. Making something which connects with others is his driving force. The possibility that his artwork might touch another person, and not only someone living today but perhaps a person of a future generation, is truly inspirational for Jonathan. He also gets great deal of his inspiration from his great-great-grandfather, Stephen Alonzo Schoff (1818-1904), a well-known American engraver in his time. Schoff's works are housed in the Smithsonian, the Boston MFA, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library. Small says he has come to appreciate the amount of time and attention to detail that Schoff put into his engravings, and perhaps some of his work ethic has rubbed off. Jonathan often imagines him looking over his shoulder while he works.

 

 Small studied at a number of art schools; however, he put his art career on hold while he worked in the surf and windsurf industries for twenty years. In 2005 his life came to a crossroads and he found himself at a point where he was poised to take on a great deal more business responsibility. It was then that Jonathan decided to walk away from selling windsurfers and spend his remaining time on earth in pursuit of his artistic muse. When he is not in his art studio, Jonathan still likes to windsurf when the waves are chest high and the winds are blowing out of the southwest at 25 knots. He also skis, snowboards, and hikes. He is married to a retired teacher and school librarian and they have a daughter who loves to dance and is convinced that she will one day marry Justin Bieber.

 

At present Jonathan Small is the Chairman of the Exhibition Committee of the Portsmouth Arts Guild, Portsmouth, RI.  He is also an active member of the Newport Art Museum, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Danforth Museum, Framingham, Mass.

Artist Statement

"I work primarily with oils, and occasionally with etchings. Lately I've been experimenting with alkyd painting over drawings or prints laminated under fiberglass (my experience with surfboard repair comes in handy here). I spend about equal time painting landscapes and still-lifes, and once in a while I'm called on for a portrait. If there is one defining thread that runs through my work, I would say that I focus on capturing a sense of light. I like treading the tightrope between carefully conceived and more "painterly" work.

Art Education

University of Colorado, the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, and Rhode Island School of Design.

Awards

• 2010 "Beyond the Lens", Juried Show, Portsmouth Arts Guild, Portsmouth, RI, Third Place Award.

• 2010 "Annual Members' All-Media Exhibition", Portsmouth Arts Guild, Portsmouth, RI, First Place People's Choice Award.

• 2009 Top painting award, the Art League of Rhode Island Award of Excellence.

• 2009 Best of Wet Canvas Competition, Finalist Award in Still-Life.

• 2009 "Wet Paint", Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI, top five selling artist.