P/ revista MODART
You never forget how you met really a great person. Sao Paolo resident Karen Jones is one of those people, she is an amazing skaterboarder and talented artist but before all she is a truly free spirited soul, the kind of souls you wished you bumped into everyday. Two years ago after being contacted by No New Enemies pioneer Harlan Levey, we were told we should meet up with Brazilian Skateboarder Karen Jones who was in Los Angeles at the time for the X-Games. Karen won a Bronze Medal in Women’s Vert that day in the same stadium that the Los Angeles Lakers play in, but she carries herself as the most refreshing person you may encounter. Traveling with sketchbook always in hand she is always creating art in between skate contests all over the world. Actually, she is always creating, either with her board under her feet or with paint pens and a paint brush in her hand and as a result she has the most difficulty turning this creativeness off and falling to sleep . Over the past two years she has came through Los Angeles a half dozen times and its always the same, we pick her up at some random spot whether in Hollywood at some swanky hotel where she has just interviewed Linkin Park for a Brazilian TV show, or at her skateboarder friends house, then its off to the art store and back to the studio with supplies to create art for an exhibition. She has shown her art work from Los Angeles to Boston, and after tackling spray paint and excelling at another medium she was invited to paint on the walls of the prestigious OCA Museum of Sao Paolo, Brazil.
We often ask ourselves how in the world does someone book a ticket for Canada two days before a skate contest, because they figure they will win the contest and get the prize money. But that is Karen Jones, she is not cocky, she does not revel in her celebrity status that she has in her native Brazil; she is just free. Her art embodies her spirit, colorful monsters and creatures with sayings in Portuguese and English that make reference to how trivial the world is, such as “Something Might Be Wrong When All You Care Is The Colour Of Your Hair” and “Human Beings Are Weird”. She tackles her art the same way she skates, with reckless abandon often leaving projects half done to do something else that grabs her interest. For her it is immediately paint applied to canvas, wood, or wall; there is no drawing before hand of the idea. There are no mistakes; because in the world she has created for herself the only way to do things is with reckless abandon.
We could go on for days about the past contests she has won, and the tricks she has landed on her board, and the art exhibitions she has done; but Karen is about progression. She holds nothing of the past of extreme value, to her it is a stepping block to something new. As 2007 comes to a close and 2008 opens up, the world of Karen Jones is further blossoming with creation. She will have her own pro-model skate shoes, boards, and clothing out by her sponsors including skate powerhouse Element, with her creatures all over them; she will be aiming for her second World Title in Women’s Vert Skating, she will continue making music for her band Violeta Ping Pong, and she will continue to create art for exhibitions around the world. Even more importantly she will continue to be a free spirit, the kind that you will remember when you meet her when she comes through your town for an art exhibition or a skate contest.
HYPERLINK "http://www.fotolog.com/karenjones" http://www.fotolog.com/karenjones
www.myspace.com/violetapingpong
Thanks Nate. Your a great person. You make US better..hahha