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<p>Kingston artist Joel Carson Jones is a living master in realism as honored by the International Art Renewal Center.</p><p>The 42-year-old Plymouth native shares that status with only 84 artists worldwide, but while Jones&#8217; hyper-realistic work is shown exclusively in Cavalier Galleries across the country, the art of the apprentices at his atelier (a studio comprised of a principal master and students) is currently displayed in the Wyoming Valley.</p><p>&#8220;Atelier Joel Carson Jones&#8221; features the oil paintings, drawings, etchings and engravings of 14 of Jones&#8217; disciples. The exhibit shows through July 31 at Main Street Galleries in Kingston.</p><p>After graduating from Wyoming Valley West, Jones began his art education at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke.</p><p>&#8220;That provided me with a beacon, pointed me in the direction of the kind of work I wanted to do, which was more representational,&#8221; Jones said.</p><p>He earned his associate&#8217;s degree and matriculated at Marywood University in Scranton, where he earned a bachelor&#8217;s degree and studied abroad in Angers, France.</p><p>But he credits a Nanticoke native and fellow living master with helping him reach his potential.</p><p>Anthony J. Waichulis studied with Jones at LCCC before heading to Baltimore to further his education and returning home to start his own atelier.</p><p>&#8220;Under his guidance, that&#8217;s where my skills developed,&#8221; Jones said. &#8220;He&#8217;s one of my closest friends today.&#8221;</p><p>As a younger artist, Jones said, he paid attention to the work of an almost overwhelming number of creators, but six or seven years ago he &#8220;turned the blinders on.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Once I started doing that, my own voice came out,&#8221; Jones said.</p><p>Finding that voice is encouraged at Jones&#8217; atelier where artists like Neil Mattern, Lucy Shemo and Tom Martin have worked on their craft.</p><p>&#8220;Neil Mattern works in charcoal and at a high level of realism,&#8221; Jones said. &#8220;Now he&#8217;s doing etchings and drypoints (engravings), and there&#8217;s more movement in them. He&#8217;s finding his own voice.&#8221;</p><p>Lucy Shemo, 19, of Luzerne, is the youngest member of the atelier and she said she gets a strong sense of camaraderie at the studio where she learns from not only Jones but also other apprentices like Martin and Bernard Poremba.</p><p>&#8220;I was learning charcoal when I started,&#8221; Shemo said. &#8220;Tom is stuck on charcoal. He&#8217;s always refining pictures.</p><p>&#8220;Bernie will show up with a tackle box full of paints. He has a notebook with his paint mixtures recorded. He&#8217;s the picture of the organized artist.&#8221;</p><p>Shemo said her most important lesson was embracing her own style.</p><p>She has several portraits of family members &#8212; including one of her brother, humorously titled &#8220;Portrait of a Loser&#8221; &#8212; displayed at Main Street, but she&#8217;s also beginning to work her other interests, such as expressionism, design and history, into her latest works.</p><p>&#8220;I can take that formal teaching anywhere,&#8221; Shemo said of Jones&#8217; instruction.</p><p>Martin, 66, of Hanover Township, has been drawing and painting since his childhood, but after retiring in 2011, he began to seek more focused instruction to rekindle his passion.</p><p>&#8220;I saw a picture by Neil Mattern &#8230; at the Fine Arts Fiesta, and I was stunned,&#8221; Martin said.</p><p>Martin said he always felt he didn&#8217;t have enough technique but that he no longer feels he has that problem.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a great teacher,&#8221; Martin said of Jones. &#8220;If you&#8217;re with him, you&#8217;re in another world. The sky&#8217;s the limit when you find this guy.&#8221;</p><p>Martin&#8217;s contribution to the Main Street exhibit is a modern rendition of an ancient symbol, an East Indian power ring (talisman), that depicts his hand holding bones and an egg.</p><p>The work is also scheduled to hang at the Salmagundi Club in New York City in coming months.</p><p>But even as he&#8217;s entering international competitions, Martin is grounded by his fellow students at the atelier.</p><p>&#8220;The people at the studio are really exceptional,&#8221; Martin said. &#8220;Everyone is humble, because you think you&#8217;re getting good and you look over shoulder and somebody blows you away.&#8221;</p><p>Shemo said the Main Street Galleries exhibit was a pleasing opportunity to see all of the apprentices together and showcasing their work, which, she noted, took plenty of labor to render.</p><p>&#8220;We spend so much time there and work so hard,&#8221; Shemo said. &#8220;I get charcoal all over my face. To sit back and watch that kind of stuff is unique.&#8221;</p><p>In an interview separate from that of her mentor, Shemo echoed one of Jones&#8217; key principles. Although Jones does request work from incoming students, he uses a portfolio as a gauge only, never denying a willing apprentice entry to the atelier.</p><p>&#8220;The door&#8217;s always open to anyone who can put in the time and effort,&#8221; Jones said. &#8220;I believe if you work hard enough at anything, you&#8217;ll become very good at it.&#8221;</p><p>For more information on Joel Carson Jones and his work and atelier, visit <a href="https://www.joelcarsonjones.com/" target="_blank">joelcarsonjones.com.</a></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Joel Carson Jones is a Plymouth native and hyper-realist artist who was named a living master in 2008 by the International Art Renewal Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_wbw070517jones-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Joel Carson Jones is a Plymouth native and hyper-realist artist who was named a living master in 2008 by the International Art Renewal Center. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_wbw070517jones-2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joel Carson Jones looks at an art piece created by his student Tom Martin. Martin and 13 of Jones&#8217; other apprentices are currently exhibiting in Main Street Galleries in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_wbw070517jones-2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Joel Carson Jones looks at an art piece created by his student Tom Martin. Martin and 13 of Jones&#8217; other apprentices are currently exhibiting in Main Street Galleries in Kingston. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_wbw070517jones-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joel Carson Jones has an atelier (teaching studio) in Plymouth where he encourages apprentices to work hard and find their own &#8216;voice.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_wbw070517jones-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Joel Carson Jones has an atelier (teaching studio) in Plymouth where he encourages apprentices to work hard and find their own &#8216;voice.&#8217; </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Joel Carson Jones apprentices show in Kingston</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Matt Mattei</p><p>mmattei@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What: </strong>&#8220;Atelier Joel Carson Jones&#8221; featuring work of 14 of Jones&#8217; apprentices</p><p><strong>Where: </strong>Main Street Galleries, 870 Pierce St., Kingston</p><p><strong>When: </strong>Now through July 31. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.</p><p><strong>Additional information: </strong>This exhibit is free and open to the public.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651 or on Twitter @TimesLeaderMatt.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Students of Atelier Joel Carson Jones show work at Kingston art gallery