Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine APRIL 2019 | Page 672

“Painting, for me is a medium of
self-discovery and expression.”
John Obafemi Jones
Artist
When John was eleven years old, he
and his brother positioned themselves
in front of the Nostrand and Myrtle
Avenue’s elevated subway station of
the now-demolished Myrtle Avenue
Line in Brooklyn, NY and offered their
sho-shining service to passers by. At
that time, the station served not only
the population of post-war factory
workers, but also the Marcy Houses
Project, so business was usually pretty
good. John’s earnings enabled him to
purchase a paint-by-the-numbers oil
painting set. He still remembers the
smell of the oil paint and turpentine
that came with the set . . .
John shared with Mélange . . .
About when his interest in
art developed? I have always
had an urge to draw, doodle, tear
and cut paper. The urge was also
nurtured by the amazing Jon
Gnagy, one of America's greatest
audio-visual educators whose
program was beamed to the
public from the top of the Empire
State building. I would wake up
early in the morning and follow
his instructions. My very first
structured art class was in Junior
High School. It was there my art
teacher took notice of my talent
and encouraged my parents to
enroll me in the New York Art
Students League.
About his medium Painting,
for me it is a medium of self-
discovery and expression. I
am intrigued by art forms that
extend the human ability to
express thoughts and emotions.

I always been mentally and
spiritually focused in finding
different ways to express myself.
In my youth there was a big
gap in my skill level and an
awareness in the application of
certain types of medium and
techniques foster my desire
to express. My biggest break
though came from watching
“Lust for Life” a film about the