Heather Smith Jones is an artist, author, and instructor working in mixed media on paper, painting, and letterpress. She owns and operates her letterpress business Blue Sparrow Press™ and in January 2011, Smith Jones's book Water Paper Paint, Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media was published. For the past eight years she has been teaching young artists in the Arts-Based Preschool at The Lawrence Arts Center.

Smith Jones's paintings and drawings are represented in several galleries in the Midwest and on the East coast. Her work is in the public collections of the Sprint Corporation and Emprise Financial Corporation in addition to many private collections around the world. In 2001 Smith Jones earned her MFA from The University of Kansas and her BFA in Painting from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC in 1996. Born in the mountains of Tennessee she now lives in downtown Lawrence, Kansas in a little house with her husband and their three cats.

b. 1974

Education

2001 The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, M.F.A., Painting. Departmental Honors

1997-1998 Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Participated in workshops in the following areas: landscape drawing, photography, metals, torch enameling, surface design in textiles, and bookmaking.

1996 East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, B.F.A., Painting and Drawing. Outstanding Senior Award

1992-1994 Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Professional Experience

2009-2010 Author, Water Paper Paint, Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media, Quarry Books, release date January 1, 2011.

2004-present Instructor, Arts-Based Preschool and workshops, Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, Kansas.

2007 Instructor, One week painting workshop, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. March 18 - 24.

2006 Admissions Advisory Panel for Residency Program, Hall Farm Center for Arts & Education, Townshend, Vermont.

2005 Curator, selections from gallery artists coinciding with Unfolding, Signs of Life Gallery, Lawrence, KS.

2003 Resident Artist, Hall Farm Center for Arts & Education, Townshend, Vermont. June 10 - 25.

Fellowship, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, Virginia. March 10 - 23.

2000- 2002 Drawing and Painting Tutor, Private instructor in drawing and painting. Lawrence, Kansas.

2001 Painting Lecturer, Painting I-II, The University of Kansas, Instructor of Record.

1999- 2001 Teaching Assistant, Drawing, The University of Kansas, Instructor of Record.

1999 Instructor, Elderhostel one week painting workshop, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

1997- 1998 Artist-in-Residence, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Exhibitions Please see Exhibitions page.

Publications and Contributions in Print

Art Lab for Kids, 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages, by Susan Schwake, contributing artist, publish date December 2011.

Creative Pilgrimage, An Exploration of Artful Gatherings and Discovery of Innovative Art Techniques, by Jenny Doh, contributing artist, publish date November 25, 2011.

Painted Pages, Fueling Creativity with Sketchbook and Mixed Media, by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare, contributing artist, publish date May 1, 2011.

Water Paper Paint, Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media, author, Quarry Books, publish date January 1, 2011.

From Orchards, Fields, and Gardens: Art and rememberings celebrating sustainable agriculture and good food, contributing artist to the book curated and edited by Kerstin Svendsen. publish date August 2010.

Blog Beautiful article, author, UPPERCASE Magazine, Issue 3, Autumn 2009. p. 14.

Blog Beautiful, Kathryn Carnegie and Julie Doan, UPPERCASE Magazine, Issue 2, Summer 2009. p. 16, 17.

Paget, Mindie. The faraway nearby, Artists take fresh look at familiar Lawrence neighborhood, Lawrence Journal-World Pulse, February 6, 2007. Sect. D, p. 1,2. (image and quote)

Ryan, Amy. In living color, CVA’s new space and exhibit are nothing short of ‘wow’, Wausau Herald City Pages art review, July 22-29, 2004. p. 18.

Herrman, Tony. Strecker-Nelson displays artists with colorful landscapes, creative sculptures, Kansas State Collegian, online media source, March 10, 2004.

New Space Features Emerging Artists, Review, November 2003. p. 43.

Paget, Mindie. Patterns in wondering and knowing; Lawrence painter explores dichotomies, faith in Signs of Life show, Lawrence Journal-World, August 24, 2003. Sect. D, p. 1,4. (Reproduction and audio clip)

Reddick, Thomas. Life through a paintbrush, a three-minute documentary film screened at Every Picture Tells a Story Film Festival, Fahrenheit Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri, August 23, 2003.

Patterson, Tom. Back to Business As Usual, Winston-Salem Journal, May 18, 2003.

Awards and Public Collections

Emprise Bank, Wichita, Kansas. multiple acquisitions.

Sprint Corporation, Overland Park, Kansas. commission of two pinhole works; separate purchase of two paintings.

2006 Lawrence Arts Center Imagination and Place Environmental Award, Chosen as the artist to make an original piece of art for the environmental award. The art is given to the recipient chosen for the Imagination and Place Environmental Award.

2005 Kansas Artist Mini Fellowship, Kansas Arts Commission.

2002 Arts Center of the Ozarks Director’s Choice Award, Artists of Northwest Arkansas 8th Annual Regional Art Exhibition 2002, Arts Center of the Ozarks, Springdale, AR. November 11 - January 1, 2003.

2001 Fulbright Grant to study Aboriginal Art in Australia, National Finalist.

2000-2001 Daniel MacMorris Scholarship, The University of Kansas. Fall 2000 - Spring 2001 Joyce Wentz

Scholarship, The University of Kansas. Fall 2000 - Spring 2001.

Special Recognition, Miniature III An International Juried Art Exhibition, Period Gallery, Omaha, NE. October 2 - 23, 2000.

1999-2000 Daniel MacMorris Scholarship, The University of Kansas. Fall 1999 - Spring 2000.

Ada Heuser Scholarhip, The University of Kansas. Fall 1999 - Spring 2000.

1997-1998 Trabue Professional Arts Program for Women Scholarship, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

1996 Collegiate All-American Scholar Liquitex Student Paint Exchange Award.

Outstanding Senior Award, East Carolina University School of Art.

Betty L. West Scholarship, East Carolina University School of Art.

Non-Resident Special Talent Tuition Waiver, East Carolina University School of Art.

Taeylor Award for Art, East Carolina University School of Art.

Water Paper Paint is for any creative person who wants to experience and play with watercolor. This book moves beyond the typical formulaic, how-to-paint textbook. Rather it offers readers experimental and technical projects to explore, all written from an artist's viewpoint. The beautiful photography in the book allows the reader a kind of look over the artist's shoulder. The projects are suitable for the beginner and can provide inspiration for someone with art experience.

Water Paper Paint is composed of three sections. The basics chapter discusses paper, paint, palettes and brushes. The projects chapter contains thirty projects that are fun and creative. Readers are guided by instructions, tips, and photos. For the Gallery Section I invited artists from across the globe to submit work. Artists are from Australia, Canada, Mexico and throughout the U.S. The contributing Artists to the Gallery Section are Andy Farkas, Kyle Field, Gracia Haby, Anna Hepler, Louise Jennison, Christine Kesler, Margie Kuhn, Carrie Walker, David Wilson, and Geninne D. Zlatkis. And Shari Altman contributed a piece of prose which was used as inspiration for Project 23: Painted Verse: Finding Inspiration in a Poem.