James Aton, author and professor of English, will give a book presentation and signing on his new book, “The Art and Life of Jimmie Jones,” on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Gilbert Great Hall of the Hunter Conference Center at Southern Utah University.
“Jimmie is the premiere landscaper and master artist of southern Utah and through the book I hope to celebrate him and his career,” said Aton, who worked on the book for almost three years.
Aton’s longtime friendship with Jones began in 1980. In 1983, Aton published an article on Jones and his artwork in Southwest Magazine. In 2009, Aton made a film with Jon Smith, SUU professor of communication, titled “Jimmie Jones: Red Rock Painter,” which they shot at Jones’ home in Rockville.
James Aton earned a Ph.D in American Literature from Ohio University. He teaches classes in writing, mythology, American studies, and continental European literature. He was named SUU Distinguished Educator in 1994 and Outstanding Scholar in 2010. Aton has twice been a Visiting Fulbright Scholar in American Studies, first in 1989-90 at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and second in 1997-98 at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China.
Jim Jones is most known for capturing the essence of the American West and red rock country through his paintings of Zion Canyon and the Grand Canyon. After growing up in Cedar City, Jones attended the Art Center in Los Angeles and later traveled to Mexico to study portrait and figure painting.
Jones made his way back to Utah and fell in love with the landscape. Jones estimates he has created more than 1,400 paintings in the many years he had been working as a full-time artist.
Jones kicked off the funding process for SUU’s Southern Utah Museum of Art in late 2009 when the renowned painter bequeathed his home and final collection of paintings to the University. Jones’ work will be displayed in SUMA in a permanent gallery.
