Gale Douglas Jones (21 August 1956 – 18 January 2023) was an American artist best known for his woven watercolor technique. Woven watercolor technique involved creating two separate watercolor paintings in differing colors of the same subject, cutting each into strips, and weaving them into a composite work. Jones completed at least two woven watercolor works during a period of legal blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy from March 1981 through the summer of 1982. One of his woven watercolor works, "The Survivor", was featured in a national traveling exhibit of visually impaired artists sponsored by the National Exhibits by Blind Artists. Jones was the subject of a professional profile in the June 1984 issue of "American Artist" magazine which detailed his woven watercolor methods and sight impairment.
Early life and education
Born in Tilden, Nebraska, Jones grew up in the nearby town of Neligh. He was diagnosed with diabetes at age nine. He graduated from Neligh-Oakdale High School in Neligh, NE in 1974. He furthered his education at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, where he earned an associate arts degree in 1976. Jones attended Kearney State College (KSC) in Kearney, Nebraska from 1976 to 1979, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a watercolor specialization. Jones said that he returned to KSC for a third year as a graduate student to paint independently from the influence of his professor's' critiques and grades.
Missouri years
Jones moved to Missouri after completing his collegiate work in Kearney. He made a living sketching $2.00 caricatures for tourists near Bagnall Dam on the Lake of the Ozarks. Later, he became a resident artist at the 7 Seas Port of Fine Art Gallery nearby. During this time, he met fellow artist Carol Tietmeyer, whom he was married from 1983 to 1989. Initially, Jones lived in a motel owned by members of the Osage tribe. He occasionally paid rent by trading his drawings of the motel owner’s ancestors and prominent Native American figures.
Legal blindness and vision restoration
Jones began to experience blurred vision in 1980 due to diabetic retinopathy, which causes blood vessels behind the retinas to bleed. During this general timeframe, he began to prepare himself for a potential life of blindness. In interviews, Jones said he received counseling from the Missouri Bureau for the Blind and had begun to learn Braille. He also noted he was mentally preparing to move into alternative art mediums, such as sculpting, ceramics, or writing, if his vision didn't improve.
Jones was legally blind from March 1981 until the summer of 1982. During that period, with the aid of magnification tools, he completed at least two Woven Watercolors, “The Survivor” & “One Brief Moment...Then Gone” (woven watercolor). “The Survivor” features a Bison separated from its herd, symbolizing his battle with health challenges and feelings of isolation. “One Brief Moment...Then Gone” (featured in the American Artist profile) shows a Northern Bobwhite Quail taking flight. "The Survivor" painting was one of 81 pieces selected for the 1983 National Exhibit by Blind Artists which was displayed at the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art in New York City, NY, Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT, and Moore College of Art in Paoli, PA.
He underwent multiple surgeries to stabilize his vision and remove cataracts in both eyes. Jones’s legal blindness ended around June 1982 after cataract surgery. Though he had significant vision discrepancies between his eyes, he learned to compensate for this difference. He had permanent spots of vision loss where the laser was used in his surgeries.
Jones painted the 1983 woven watercolor self-portrait, "I see...a second chance", in the months following his reprieve from blindness. This work was also featured in the June 1984 issue of the American Artist magazine.
Norfolk, Nebraska years
In the mid-1980s, Jones moved to Norfolk, Nebraska where he opened Ravenwood Fine Arts Gallery in downtown Norfolk which he owned and operated for over 30 years until selling the business in 2019.
In 2001 He received a kidney and pancreas transplant at Clarkson Hospital / University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, NE.
Jones died on 18 January 2023 at UNMC following a heart procedure. His burial site is in the Royal, NE cemetery.