Meet Our Mid-Valley: Salem-Keizer artist Jonezy paints in bold colors, graffiti style

This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.

For Salemites familiar with the area's art scene, Jonezy is one of Salem-Keizer's most well-known working artists.

Randy Jones has gone by Jonezy since 2004, when he began working on art more seriously. People used to call him Jonezy at his former workplace and the name stuck, he said.

The artist is known for his graffiti-like style, with bold colors and striking black outlines, usually in spray and acrylic paint. For over two decades, characters like Skully and various renditions of Sasquatch have been common motifs. You can find his murals and other work in local businesses, international collections and on the backs of celebrities, like Portland musician Ty Curtis. But the man behind the art is not an enigma as his name might suggest: He's a laid-back guy who is passionate about his work.

"For me, making art is therapeutic but I also get to live off of it," Jones said. "I love the freedom to work by myself, for myself. It's more than a regular job ... but I'm doing what I love."

Jones has been making art his whole life, and began with pencil and pen sketches before taking on mixed media. His style is influenced by graffiti art from the '90s, as he felt drawn to street art and would watch graffiti videos. That and combining cartoon aspects would eventually develop into his personal style.

Jones’ work is also influenced by his background in screen printing. Rather than starting with outlines, he starts with the color and layers up, with the outline typically done last. Jones rarely sketches on his canvas to prep the piece and instead paints freehand with a mental image of the work. It's a skill he’s been developing for years. Sometimes, the work even changes in the moment if the vibe is different from what he expected.

All into art: From Oregon, Las Vegas and around the country

In his small studio in Turner, a giant canvas with a bright pink octopus outlined sits on an easel. Beside it are two large boxes of supplies filled with various colors of acrylic paints and brushes. Jones sits on an upholstered ottoman, painting black details on the bottom of the octopus.

Jones said he sold his 1,000th painting last year. He numbers them so he knows exactly who he sold his work to and when.

Jones said the first time he realized he could work as an artist for a living was when he started selling acrylic paintings in 2004 at a gallery in Malibu, California. Since then, he has submitted his work to over 50 galleries, shows and exhibits around the country. California remains the main hub for his art.

One avid collector of his art is Trip Wilson, a fan turned friend of Jones. He has over 50 pieces of Jones' art, from paintings to customized apparel. His son even has a collection of his work as well.

"I like the fact that every time I look at (his art), it feels - in my opinion - that anyone from a kid like my son could relate to it, but also other artist friends of mine who are hugely famous, like it and can relate to it," Wilson said. He said at the gallery of art displayed at his home, visitors will usually pick out Jones' work as their favorites among his collection.

In 2010 Jones decided to move to Las Vegas to propel his career. He connected with musicians and celebrities, doing various showings in shops and exhibits around the city.

He has also been commissioned to do a combination of customized jackets and merchandise lines for celebrities and musicians including rapper Paul Wall, Yelawolf and Bryce Vine as well as album and single covers.

Jonezy's work in the Salem-area

Jones returned to the Mid-Valley in 2013.

Jones has branched out locally. Business owners in Salem asked him to paint murals and other work in their establishments. You can find his murals inside The Vault Bar & Grill in West Salem, Azul's Taco House downtown, Martinez Tires in Keizer and more.

Side Hustle Bar and Grill owner James Mullins commissioned Jones to do a mural of Bad Bunny's album "Un Verano Sin Ti," which was "a huge hit" as a backdrop for photos inside the bar.

Jones sometimes paints live. Some of his most memorable moments were going on tour with Curtis and painting live at his shows and similar events. You can see Jones paint live at the Northwest Taco Fest on May 4 at Riverfront Park.

To see his work, check out his website, shopjonezyartwork.com, and Instagram account, @jonezyartwork.

If you have an idea for someone we should profile for this series, please email Statesman Journal executive editor Cherrill Crosby at crosbyc@statesmanjournal.com 

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on X @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem, Oregon, artist Jonezy paints vibrantly across mediums