Written by Elise Mullen, Artwork by Nae’Keisha Jones, Featured image “Color Me Magic,” Nae’Keisha Jones
SCAD alumna Nae’Keisha Jones graduated in 2012 with a B.F.A. in illustration and a minor in creative writing. Since graduation, she has launched an online store on Etsy called Canvas Chats as well as had her art featured in local displays like Connect Savannah and ShopScad. Most recently, her work is being displayed at the Jewish Educational Alliance Gallery for the month of February 2021.
Jones’ paintings often reflect her positive attitude and her work is a reflection of her advocation to create visual stories while inspiring others, which is what you can expect to see at the show. “I am an advocate for giving back in general. I have taught art workshops in addition to working with the program Deep to develop teens’ writing and give them a safe place to share their own work. I want to capture the need for taking care of your community,” Jones said.
The childlike imagination and creativity is such an important characteristic to her work. The ability to get lost in a piece of work is powerful at any age. That is an aspect that is not always intentional in Jones’ work but one that is consistent no matter what.
Viewers of this show can also expect to see Jones’ work in a style they never have before. “More vulnerability for sure,” Jones said. Pairing her illustrations with poetry, guests are in for an intimate and imaginative experience.
It can be quite therapeutic to look at Jones’ work and get lost in it for a few moments, oftentimes there is so much going on in the scene and so much detail it can take a few minutes to find the meaning.
In my favorite piece of hers, “Tightrope,” a woman is walking on a tightrope with her eyes closed. The message behind this piece is depictive of anxiety and insomnia.“I wanted to show it in a dream-type state and what that feels like, because other people may not understand,” Jones said of the piece, “And anxiety gets overused a lot, so how can I show this in a creative way and not make it a dark topic to talk about?”
Jones’ awareness of the commonality of anxiety is not lost on us. It has now become an everyday term that people tend to overuse, misunderstanding the effect it has on those who are diagnosed. The creative approach of placing the subject on a tightrope to resemble anxiety with the dream-like composition in the rest of the image — a blue background haze and sheep swirling around the figure — resembling insomnia are two very strategic and beautiful ways to show such a tough mental illnesses. This is what draws me to the piece.
If you’re interested in seeing more of Jones’ work check out her Instagram and website, as well as her display at the JEA.
