Amber Jones                                                                                          Cincinnati Local Artist

 

We define ourselves by the roles we play through life; the labels we post to our chests as though we wear hundreds of "Hello, my name is..." stickers. The labels we accept to wear speak of the "me" we like to show to the world. The best qualities of ourselves are the ones chosen to post with pride. Most of the time, these labels are only what we DO, and not who we ARE. "My labels?" you ask. Well, I have many. Sometimes too many in the busy mess of things. I am a mother, a wife, a full time Amazonian Problem Solver (Not as in the Amazonian Rain Forest, but as in Amazon the company...), a part time art student, an artist, an Atheist, an activist. And not always in that order...

But, who am I? I am a compassionate, caring, silly (and sometimes downright strange), intelligent perfectionist. I sometimes care too much, and other times do not care enough. I enjoy getting lost in the words and melodies of music which calms my chaotic soul, as I allow the world to fall away from around me. I enjoy finding beauty in the things most people overlook or leave behind, the shadows left behind as the candlelight flickers; the chunky little fingers of an infant; the highlights of golden beams of light reflecting from strands of hair. I have become intrigued by seemingly useless situations to the border of obsession and beyond. These appear to me as problems which must be solved. I tend to mentally swim in the lights and shadows my sticks of charcoal leave in their wake... the way they push and pull the objects in the mind to the point of wanting to reach out and touch the paper in awe.