Kathleen Keene Jones Arts
instagram.com/kathleenkeenejonesart
ArtRoom Collective Studio #19
Meet Katie Jones — below we dive into her art, inspiration, and life in (and outside) the studio.
What kind of art do you create?
Abstract sculptures
Can you share your journey as an artist? What inspired you to pursue this path?
My work explores the interplay of resilience and fragility through forms that lean into imbalance, tension, and motion. I translate climate and conflict into clay, drawing from years spent abroad as a multilateral diplomat in landscapes marked by beauty and extremity, including Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Dominican Republic, and the Gulf. Through raw surfaces and asymmetrical structures, I trace how transformation gathers slowly under pressure and time. My pieces often contain a duality: harsh exteriors with colors hidden inside of structures.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Part of my childhood was spent on ranches and this instilled in me a connection to nature.
What inspires you?
The natural world. I am inspired by landscapes shaped by elemental force—deserts carved by wind, mountains transformed by weather and erosion, and underwater worlds where light, pressure, and time alter every surface. I’m drawn to moments when the familiar is disrupted, when structures lean, shift, or risk collapse, and to the resilience that allows life to persist in harsh or changing environments. My work grows from these tensions: the motion of storms, the stillness of deep water, the memory held in stone and clay, and the imperfect yet enduring forms that emerge through pressure and time.
How long have you been producing art?
I’ve been drawn to art for as long as I can remember, though my practice has been intermittent over the years. I studied ceramics in my undergraduate studies, but stepped away from it for a long time before returning to clay about two years ago, during an extended period on crutches after a skiing injury. That return became a turning point, and I’ve been working steadily since.
What do you enjoy doing outside of creating art?
Spending time with my family: Garry, Penelope, Sebbie, and Luna.
Can you share any upcoming projects or exhibitions we should look out for?
In November, I exhibited a piece selected for the juried UAE Designer Exhibition at Dubai Design Week, the region’s premier design festival. A gallery has since invited me to place the full collection with them, and it will soon be on view and available in the fine art market. I’m currently developing a collection called watershed, inspired by the geographies of the American Southwest, shaped by the quiet but powerful systems that guide the movement of water across the land.
When is your favorite time of day to create and why?
When I get into creating mode, I tend to loose track of time, so my favorite time is - honestly - whenever I can be in the studio.
Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?
Skiing in Afghanistan!
Favorite piece you've created?
Haboob (the first photo above)
What's something not many people know about you?
I worked in counter-terroism, emergency response, and peace negotiations.
What are you selling in your studio right now?
Sculptures and vessels.
Anything else you'd like to add.....
Since I am new to the Durango market, I’m looking for collaboration and representation opportunities.