- Accepts Etsy gift cards
An original painting on reclaimed roofing tin by acclaimed self-taught Georgia artist Leonard Jones (American, b. 1955). Measuring approximately 13 x 14 inches, the work depicts a rustic still life featuring a freshly cut ham, vegetables, and a warm country kitchen scene rendered in Jones' unmistakable style. The irregular shape of the roofing tin becomes an integral part of the composition, reinforcing the artist's practice of transforming humble, everyday materials into expressive works of art. Signed "LJ."
Born and raised in Lincoln County, Georgia, Leonard Jones continues to live simply in the same rural community, in a farmhouse without electricity or running water. The son of sharecroppers, Jones briefly discovered painting as a child before leaving school to work as a laborer. Years later, he returned to art, developing a highly personal visual language rooted in memories of rural Southern life and the people around him.
Working directly on discarded sheets of roofing tin spread across the ground, Jones paints nostalgic scenes inspired by everyday life in the rural South—family meals, fishermen on the Savannah River, blues musicians, church gatherings, and quiet domestic moments. His paintings celebrate ordinary experiences with warmth, dignity, and an unmistakable sense of place, offering a rare and authentic glimpse into African American life in the South.
Jones employs vibrant oil-based house paints applied with broad brushes, while finer details are created using broken sticks dipped in paint or even his fingertips. Despite these unconventional tools and his complete lack of formal artistic training, his work displays remarkable confidence, rhythmic composition, and surprising delicacy. The weathered roofing tin, often retaining traces of its previous life, lends each painting a distinctive sculptural presence and reinforces the authenticity of his materials.
Critics have praised Jones for the honesty and freshness of his work. Writing in Lakelife Magazine, gallery owner Jeanne Kronsnoble described his paintings as possessing "the understated simplicity of folk art," while noting that closer inspection reveals "a remarkably delicate touch that animates his figures and reflects a winsome perception of people in his world." His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and is included in the collection of the House of Blues.
Leonard Jones has emerged as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary Southern self-taught art. His paintings stand comfortably alongside the traditions established by celebrated artists such as Bill Traylor, Sam Doyle, and Thornton Dial, while remaining unmistakably his own—vivid, sincere, and deeply rooted in the rhythms of rural Georgia life.