Jonah Jones (Q61904)

Jonah Jones (1919-2004) was an artist and writer. – Leonard [Jonah] Jones was born on 17 February 1919 near Wardley in County Durham and was the first child of Norman, a miner, and Florence Jones. He received his secondary education in Jarrow and attended night classes at the King Edward School of Art in Newcastle before he was called up for National Service. He was a member of the 224 Parachute Field Ambulance in the 6th Airborne Vision during the Second World War, 1940-46, and took part in the Ardennes campaign. In 1947 he married Judith Maro and settled near Penrhyndeudraeth in 1948. They had two sons and a daughter. He worked with Brenda Chamberlain and John Petts at the Caseg Press in 1947. David Jones, the artist-poet was a great influence on his work. In 1948 he established his own workshop at Pentrefelin, Gwynedd, and moved in 1966 to a new house near Portmeirion. His early work can be seen at Portmeirion. Between 1974 and 1978 he was the Director of the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and Gregynog arts fellow in 1981. His workshop was important to his working philosophy. In 1991 he moved his studio to Llantrisant. – Jonah Jones received a number of commissions for stained glass, sculpture and inscriptions and his work has been exhibited widely. In 1970 he was responsible for the David Lloyd George panels in Westminster Abbey and a memorial plaque also for Dylan Thomas in 1982. He also created wall sculptures for Coleg Harlech, Mold Crown Court and North Wales Constabulary in Colwyn Bay and a plaque for the Taliesin Arts Centre in 1984. He has produced a number of portrait busts, including John Cowper Powys, Bertrand Russell, Sir Huw Wheldon, Sir Clough Williams Ellis, Gwynfor Evans and Gwenlyn Parry, and also painted in watercolour. The bronze figures of Sir O. M. Edwards and his son Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards in Llanuwchllyn in 1982 were created by him. One of his favourite materials was Welsh slate. In 1983 he received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for service in the arts. - His two novels A tree may fall and Zorn were published in 1980 and 1986 respectively and a biography Clough Williams-Ellis – architect of Portmeirion was published in 1996. A retrospective exhibition was held in St David’s Hall in Cardiff, 2002. Jonah Jones died on 29 November 2004. In 2006 Scene and Word Limited was established by his family in order to develop ‘Cofio Jonah Jones’, a project to record and celebrate his life and career.