John Paul Jones; Painter, Sculptor, Educator

John Paul Jones, a painter, sculptor and art educator who established the printmaking department at UCLA and taught for many years at UC Irvine, has died.

Jones, 74, died Sept. 25 at his home in Ashland, Ore., of complications from emphysema.

A multifaceted artist, Jones first gained national recognition in the 1960s with his figurative prints, drawings and paintings. In the 1980s, he turned to stark, spare sculptures in wood and bronze.

“Meticulous, almost obsessive craftsmanship and spare formality dominate in John Paul Jones’ wood sculptures. . . . Each reads as a fusion of functional craftsmanship and cool minimalism,” a Times reviewer commented when Jones first showed his wood sculptures at the TLK Gallery in Costa Mesa in 1982.

When Jones’ work in various media was exhibited at the Municipal Art Gallery in Barnsdall Park in 1984, art historian Susan C. Larsen wrote for the catalog:

“[Jones’ imagery] announces itself in a whisper, and [his] incisive line and lush, somber tones speak eloquently in a voice resonant with maturity. His work accrues its power through taut understatement. Jones focuses our attention not by a simple reduction of elements but by a thoughtful refinement of form and image.”

The same year, Times art critic William Wilson described Jones as an artist “who long ignored fashion in favor of pursuing the intrinsic demands of art.”

The critic evaluated Jones as “a respected artist and teacher hereabouts for nearly three decades” and “one of those talents . . . widely revered among students and peers, professionally active and yet never quite publicly prominent.”

Touring the Barnsdall exhibit, Wilson concluded: “The most common mood of Jones’ individual works is laconic calm. . . . Every move is exquisite.”

Henry Hopkins, former director of the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum, called Jones “a very important figure here in the ‘50s and ‘60s” and one of the first Los Angeles artists to have an exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Hopkins added that Jones was considered an extraordinary teacher by many professional artists, including the late Richard Diebenkorn. “He was a great influence on Diebenkorn,” Hopkins said.

A native of Indianola, Iowa, Jones entered Simpson College there as a pre-engineering major. He interrupted his studies to serve in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II. Later he earned a master’s degree at the University of Iowa, writing his thesis on printmaking.

Aided by several fellowship awards, Jones lived and created for a time in Europe.

In addition to UCLA and UC Irvine, he had taught at the University of Oklahoma and Iowa State University. Jones also exhibited at such places as the Brooklyn Museum of Art and its European traveling exhibit, the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute of Southern California in Laguna Beach and the UC Irvine Fine Arts Gallery.

Jones is survived by his companion, Susanne Nestory; a son, Shawn Jones of Niantic, Conn.; a daughter, Leah Jones of Tampa, Fla.; and one granddaughter. Another daughter, Megan Hart Jones, a promising artist, died of cancer at 20 in 1989.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Megan Hart Jones Fund at Smith College in Northampton, Mass.

A memorial observance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Fullerton College Art Gallery, 321 E. Chapman Ave. The gallery will stage an exhibition of Jones’ work Wednesday through Nov. 11.