Artist Profile: Antoinette Jones
Antoinette Jones is a self-taught artist from Milwaukee. She started painting portraits in 2019 and has not put the brush down since. For her, painting has been a healing journey—an artistic outlet to get through rough times. She now uses her voice, art and platform to inspire other artists to push the boundaries of their creativity to reach their full potential. By sharing her story and personal struggles with others, she is aims to give hope to those that might be facing similar difficulties.
1) Describe your creative process. How has your practice changed over time?
My creative process has definitely evolved over these last three years as a self-taught artist. It tends to differ from piece to piece as I explore different techniques and work on finding my creative voice. Some paintings are carefully planned out and sketched to perfection. Others are on a whim, just going straight in with paint.
No matter which approach I take, I try to allow myself to be free by letting the creativity flow and just trusting the process. This hasn’t always been easy to do. But I have gotten to a point in my artistic journey where I trust that no matter how I approach a piece, I am well equipped to bring the vision to life.
In short, my advice to other artists would be to simply trust the process. Don't be afraid to experiment with different techniques, styles, colors, mediums or subjects. Who knows—you might like it, you might not—but allow yourself the patience to find what works for you!
2) What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Even though I am very proud of the work I create, I’m touched anytime someone shows appreciation for my art. As a portrait artist, one of my most requested commissions are memorial paintings. There have been times when I have gotten the pleasure of working my magic to create moments for my clients that they didn’t get to physically experience. Such as generations that never got the chance of meeting in this lifetime—or other similar subjects. I’ve taken up to six reference photos and pieced them together to build a special memory and vision for my clients.
Even though these types of pieces can be a little challenging to execute, they are very rewarding. They’re usually ordered as gifts. And it always touches my heart when I get to see the reaction video of the painting being opened. These pieces hold a very special meaning so I love getting any kind of reaction videos from my clients. It makes the long process worth it every time.
(Photo credit: Amanda Evans Photography )
3) Describe your favorite type of art to create. Does it differ from your fave type of art to be a consumer of?
As much as I try to deny it, traditional art has my heart. I have given digital art a try a few times, but there is something about the physical touch of the canvas that does something to my soul. It allows me to connect with my paintings by getting in touch with my emotions, then release them intentionally on the canvas using different techniques, mediums and materials. I also enjoy finger painting as well as the use of texture—something that wouldn’t quite be the same in any other form.
It took me years to accept it, but I am a portrait artist. I’m still perfecting my craft every day, but I love a good realistic portrait. Also, although we seem to have a love-hate relationship, I love painting faces and eyes specifically.
In the art community, I see this kind of art getting a lot of hate for being “simple” or “thoughtless.” Yet I’m amazed by it every single time. I have experimented with many different styles and subjects, however, I always find my way back to portraits. Plus, this is the same kind of art I like to admire. I always appreciate other portrait artists' work, in addition to observing and learning from their techniques.
4) Share 2-3 types of art you wish people were more aware of.
I have always been creative, but it wasn’t until I got older and started stepping into my creativity that I realized how much art is around us every day. Growing up, I did a little bit of everything. I remember as young as 6 years old making latch hook rugs. From there, my interests grew to pot holders, lanyards and nail designs. I even wrote and illustrated a short book series when I was in fourth grade. Looking back everything about me was screaming creativity. Unfortunately, it was under-appreciated so a lot of my skills were abandoned along the way. As I got older, I disconnected from that part of myself—and as a result—constantly felt lost.
So although this may not be a specific type of art, I highly encourage anyone of any background to creatively motivate the youth in your lives. I even strongly encourage this for adults as well, since as we get older, there is a tendency stray away from our artistic abilities unless we are intentional about growing them.
As a mother myself, even though my son may never grow up to want to pursue art as a career, I do everything I can to remind him that he IS an artist by encouraging his creativity. We are all born creative—and whether it is in the form of drawing, painting or photography—we are all capable of expressing ourselves creatively. Oftentimes we are told that there is no career in art, when in reality there are no careers without art. Don’t keep yourself in a box or limit your creativity—the possibilities are infinite!
One very underrated form of art that has recently grabbed my attention is the art of public speaking. I took a class on public speaking in college which opened my eyes to the benefits of being a good speaker. I’m typically a shy person; I shy away from any situation where the attention is on me. But one of my dreams is to speak in front of an audience someday. I find the science and preparation behind it fascinating. In the same way that I learned how to paint, I believe (with a little bit of patience and preparation) anyone can do it. We all have great ideas, but without effective communication, they are useless.