Work samples

  • Song of Songs
    Song of Songs
    Song of Songs is an acrylic painting on canvas 48" x 36" 2023 This painting was inspired by modern poetry concerning the Mood of the Mambo.
  • PARADISE
    PARADISE
    PARADISE is an acrylic painting on canvas 48" x 36" 2023. This painting was selected for a National Juried exhibition at Oxford Arts Alliance in 2023.
  • Lady of the Moon
    Lady of the Moon
    Lady of the Moon is an acrylic painting on canvas 48" x 36" . It is my most recent painting and is part of the God and Goddesses series.
  • PLATONIA
    PLATONIA

    PLATONIA is an acrylic painting on canvas 48" x 36" 2023 PLATONIA  is the new name for the concept that the Universe has no beginning and no end .Via the James Webb Hubble Telescope , they are finding no difference in anything no matter how far away it is.

About Jonathan

Harford County

Jonathan West is a Baltimore area artist known for his large expressionist work.  Following his "It's Time To Run Like Hell" series, his "Paintings of Heaven" and vividly painted landscapes, portraits and still lifes employ a brighter, more optimistic pallette and viewpoint.  Jonathan shows actively and paints constantly in different series.  Follow the Light !

Statement:
At 65 years young,I continue to paint everyday from a place of childhood wonderment,striving to capture… more

Figures in Time and Space

I continued to be inspired by modern mystical poetry in 2023.This series of paintings explore a spiritual approach to the figure as it moves through time in a space created with color and light.

  • PARADISE
    PARADISE
    PARADISE acrylic on canvas 48"x 36" 2023 PARADISE depicts the Garden of Eden before the Fall of Man. This painting was selected for a National Juried exhibition at Oxford Arts Alliance in 2023.
  • AWAKE
    AWAKE
    AWAKE acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2023 AWAKE was inspired by modern spiritual poetry and is intended to inspire the viewer to pursue a higher state of consiousness.
  • Lady of the Moon
    Lady of the Moon
    Lady of the Moon acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2023 Inspired by Mystical poetry and my Mother's passing along with the promise of a Grandchild. This evocative painting tickles the imagination.
  • PLATONIA
    PLATONIA
    PLATONIA acrylic on canvas 48" x 36"2023 PLATONIA explores the boundaries of Time and Space and the substance that holds it together. The painting was inspired by girls with Hula Hoops at concerts. This is where it took me.
  • Song of Songs
    Song of Songs
    Song of Songs acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2023 Song of Songs was inspired by a poem written by Jen Arnold- "The Mood of the Mambo". It explores the Biblical relationship between God and Man.
  • The Dancer
    The Dancer
    The Dancer acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2023 Inspired by a poem by Jen Arnold - "Alana, Plese Dance At My Wedding."

More Poetic Visions

I have continued to seek inspiration from fresh modern poetry  and made many paintings in 2022.
Here are several of my favorites.
  • The Blue Sky Gods
    The Blue Sky Gods
    The Blue Sky Gods acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2022
  • Mystery Cats
    Mystery Cats
    Mystery Cats acrylic on canvas 30" x 24" 2022
  • Peace Be Within You
    Peace Be Within You
    Peace Be Within You acrylic on canvas 24" x 36" 2022
  • Waterfall
    Waterfall
    Waterfall acrylic on canvas 36" x 24" 2022
  • The Green Goddess of Spring
    The Green Goddess of Spring
    The Green Goddess of Spring acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2022
  • One Day
    One Day
    One Day acrylic on canvas 24" x 36" 2022
  • In My Father's House
    In My Father's House
    In My Father's House acrylic on canvas 30" x 40" 2022
  • The Love Bomb
    The Love Bomb
    The Love Bomb acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2022
  • Le Pont d'Avignon
    Le Pont d'Avignon
    Le Pont d'Avignon acrylic on canvas 30" x 40" 2022
  • GRACE
    GRACE
    GRACE acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2022

Mystical Poetic Visions

I am deeply involved in a year long quest to attain a higher level of Spirituality into my paintings. 
I have sought out the poetry from a single modern mystical poet as visionary inspiration for a large series of paintings .
I am employing three important areas in my process:

* The Investigation of Light via Color
*The Poet as Muse
*The Restating of Image via the Compositions recorded in the History of Art

As I paint,my focus becomes energized by emerging visions,two dimensional canvas becomes a three dimensional cube of light.
As I employ mettalic paints as well as floresecent colors ,these paintings become otherworldly when viewed thru 3-D glasses.
Follow the Light .
  • The Better Angels of Our Nature.jpg
    The Better Angels of Our Nature.jpg
    The Better Angels of Our Nature is a Spiritual painting inspired by modern mystical poetry. The title is from a quote by Abraham Lincoln.
  • Lei Hulumanu.jpg
    Lei Hulumanu.jpg
    Lei Hulumanu is inspired by modern mystical poetry in this case rooted in Hawaiian traditional values.
  • The Lady of the Forest
    The Lady of the Forest
    The Lady of the Forest acrylic on canvas 48"x 36" 2020
  • In The Garden With NEOWISE
    In The Garden With NEOWISE
    In The Garden With NEOWISE Acrylic on canvas 48"x36" 2020
  • The Wishing Tree
    The Wishing Tree
    The Wishing Tree acrylic on canvas 36"x24" 2020
  • Let It Go
    Let It Go
    Let It Go acrylic on canvas 48"x36" 2020
  • The King of Spring
    The King of Spring
    The King of Spring acrylic on canvas 24"x20" 2020
  • AUAU ATU MARU
    AUAU ATU MARU
    AUAU ATU MARU acrylic on canvas 30"x 48" 2020
  • The All and the Nothing
    The All and the Nothing
    The All and the Nothing acrylic on canvas 48"x 30" 2020
  • Dragonfly Reiki
    Dragonfly Reiki
    Dragonfly Reiki acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2020

DREAMSCAPES

My DREAMSCAPES are designed to evoke an anigmatic sense of wonder,a psychic narrative of the sublime journey through my imagination.Instilled with elements of New Romanticism and Magic Realism,enchanted figures are found confronting mysterious space and timelessness as colorful positive expectation.
  • Ooo Oh En Ee.jpg
    Ooo Oh En Ee.jpg
    Ooo Oh En Ee (two ocean's creek) acrylic on canvas 30 x 24" 2021
  • Jasmine Winds.jpg
    Jasmine Winds.jpg
    Jasmine Winds acrylic on canvas 60" x 48" 2021
  • Dog and Butterfly.jpg
    Dog and Butterfly.jpg
    Dog and Butterfly acrylic on canvas 24" x 20" 2021
  • The Conference of Birds.jpg
    The Conference of Birds.jpg
    The Conference of Birds acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2021
  • ESPERANCE.JPG
    ESPERANCE.JPG
    ESPERANCE acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2019
  • Leda and the Swan.jpg
    Leda and the Swan.jpg
    LEDA and the SWAN acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2019
  • Aphrodite's Rest.jpg
    Aphrodite's Rest.jpg
    APHRODITE'S REST acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2019
  • LILITH.jpg
    LILITH.jpg
    LILITH acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2019
  • Galatea.jpg
    Galatea.jpg
    GALATEA acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2019
  • The Forgiving Dream.jpg
    The Forgiving Dream.jpg
    THE FORGIVING DREAM acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" 2018

The Exquisite Bouquets

These floral still life paintings were born out of the reality of the pandemic.
Flowers were purchased weekly from the same vendor at the Bel Air Farmer's Market
and captured in paint before the arrangement began to wilt.
Exqisite vases were reasearched on eBay and the internet and the bouquets were placed in appropriate vases.
The beauty of the vases and the bouquets has to do with the living relationship of our life as beautifully concieved by "man"- be that 
parents , partners, history of self, holding forth our Spirit life as perfected vase upon vase of flower holding forth/together this is the soul/
the union of flesh and spirit/ "matter and ether enflamed in cohesion."
  • Konstrakta.jpg
    Konstrakta.jpg
    Konstrakta acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • We Are Stardust.jpg
    We Are Stardust.jpg
    We Are Stardust acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • Printemps en Quimper.jpg
    Printemps en Quimper.jpg
    Printemps en Quimper acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • Jolly Good Show.jpg
    Jolly Good Show.jpg
    Jolly Good Show acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • Now His Soul Can Dance.jpg
    Now His Soul Can Dance.jpg
    Now His Soul Can Dance acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • The Future Monarch.jpg
    The Future Monarch.jpg
    The Future Monarch acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • La Belle Epoque.jpg
    La Belle Epoque.jpg
    La Belle Epoque acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • Abbondanza.jpg
    Abbondanza.jpg
    ABBONDANZA acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • Velmoss Scroll.jpg
    Velmoss Scroll.jpg
    Velmoss Scroll acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021
  • Much To Her Delight.jpg
    Much To Her Delight.jpg
    Much To Her Delight acrylic on cradled hardboard 20" x 16" 2021

Time to Run Like Hell Series

Communication and awareness are of the utmost importance to the artist today. Advances in technology have placed the entire world in our homes and studios and, in my case, spur an empathetic reaction to the world?s tragedies and human foibles, and, specifically, to our inhumanity towards one another.


As a contemporary artist, I cannot separate myself from this place and time. In my paintings I seek to define this reaction in cathartic, expressionistic and poignant notations that reflect on life and the finality of death. In my Time to Run Like Hell series, with titles such I Don?t Want the World, I Just Want Your Half, Nirvana (for Virginia Tech), The Smell of Death, and Buzkashi, I hope to present the viewer with uncomfortable, often horrific, situations in a sympathetic yet striking artistic manner that provokes both thought and compassion. The series extends to natural disasters with work such as Tsunami, The Big Easy, and Earthquake.
  • The Big Easy
    The Big Easy
    Natural Disaster, Abstract, Expressionistic, Acrylic, Painting
  • Earthquake
    Earthquake
    Abstract, Expressionist, Natural Disaster, Acrylic, Painting
  • Hate Crimes 101 (For Mathew  Shepard)
    Hate Crimes 101 (For Mathew Shepard)
    Social criticism, Abstract, Expressionistic, Inhumanity, Acrylic, Painting
  • Running of the Bulls
    Running of the Bulls
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Bulls,
  • I Don't Want the World, I Just Want Your Half
    I Don't Want the World, I Just Want Your Half
    Social criticism, Abstract, Expressionistic, Inhumanity,War, Acrylic, Painting
  • NIrvana
    NIrvana
    Social criticism, Abstract, Expressionistic, Inhumanity, Acrylic, Painting
  • Smell of Death
    Smell of Death
    Abstract, Expressionistic, Inhumanity, Death, Destruction, Acrylic, Painting
  • Buzkashi
    Buzkashi
    Social criticism, Abstract, Expressionistic, Inhumanity, Acrylic, Painting
  • Riders on the Storm
    Riders on the Storm
  • Tsunami
    Tsunami
    Abstract, Expressionistic, Seascape, Waves, Acrylic, Painting, Natural Disaster

Paintings Of Heaven

With the occurrence of the death of my childhood best friend, my paintings evolved from the “It’s Time To Run Like Hell” series to the “Paintings Of Heaven” series. These spirited expressions of light and color express my cathartic impressions of life and the inevitability of death. Often inspired by tragic current events, these paintings are guided by emotion, fate and subconscious spiritual principles.
  • ALOHA
    ALOHA
    Acrylic on Canvas , disaster,floral ,colorful,abstract ,expressionistic
  • We Become Birds When We Die
    We Become Birds When We Die
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Freedom, Hope, Reincarnation
  • More
    More
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Nature, Power
  • Bubbles
    Bubbles
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Newtown, Hope
  • English Garden
    English Garden
    Acrylic,canvas,colorful , floral,landscape,colorful,bright ,insiprational
  • Destiny
    Destiny
    acrylic,canvas,landscape,bright,green ,expressionistic
  • Flow Blue
    Flow Blue
    LARGE,acrylic,canvas,abstract,blue,white,space, disaster,mural
  • Captured Angels
    Captured Angels
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Light, Color, Freedom
  • Sugar Town
    Sugar Town
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Rhythm, Nature
  • Pretty Land
    Pretty Land
    Acrylic, Painting, Abstract, Expressionistic, Light, Color, Spiritual Awakening

Nature Morte

This body of work celebrates the age-old tradition of still life painting with a modern twist.
The popularity of these paintings has encouraged me to continue with these smaller works.
I find the intimacy of their creation almost addictive.
  • Once There Was a Way
    Once There Was a Way
    acrylic,board,floral,decorative,ivy,bright,colorful
  • And It Was Good
    And It Was Good
    Acrylic on board 20" x 16" , colorful,floral,fruit,bright
  • Limelight
    Limelight
    acrylic on cradled board 20" x 16" colorful,bright ,floral,citrus ,magnolia Painted from flowers from my yard.
  • La Vie est Belle
    La Vie est Belle
    acrylic,board-16"x20" ,Paris,France,bird,teapot, holiday
  • Tutti Frutti
    Tutti Frutti
    Acrylic on Board 20"x16"
  • Secret Garden
    Secret Garden
    Acrylic on Board 20"x16"
  • Le Pappillion
    Le Pappillion
    Acrylic on Board 20"x16"
  • The Who
    The Who
    Acrylic on Board 20"x16"
  • Queen Anne's Peach
    Queen Anne's Peach
    Acrylic on Board 20"x16"
  • Bowl of Cherries
    Bowl of Cherries
    Acrylic on Board 20"x16"

Return to Figuration

A recent return of the figure and landscape paintings,including "En plein Air"have enriched and broadened my perspective.I intend to pursue painting the figure in a landscape setting.
  • Those Who Do Not Believe In Magic,Will Never Find It
    Those Who Do Not Believe In Magic,Will Never Find It
    Those Who Do Not Believe In Magic, Will Never Find It acrylic on canvas 36" x 48"
  • Falling in Love
    Falling in Love
    acrylic on cradled board 20" x 16" colorful,landscape,fall,leaves,bright
  • Je Ne Regrette Rien
    Je Ne Regrette Rien
    Acrylic on canvas painting 75" x 58" My reaction to the terrorist attacks in Paris 2015.
  • Why No
    Why No
    acrylic on cradled panel painting of grapes and their essence.
  • Heavenly Waters
    Heavenly Waters
    acrylic on canvas painting 48" x 116" depicting childhood memories of the woodlands near my home.
  • The Road to Joy
    The Road to Joy
    acrylic on cradled board 20" x 16" en plein air painting of Tounge Row in Ellicott City,Maryland. Completed in 2 hour time limit. Landscape ,spiritual,colorful
  • Sanctuary
    Sanctuary
    acrylic on cradled board 16" x 20" en plein air painting of the Icehouse at Liriodendron.
  • Self Portrait
    Self Portrait
    acrylic on cradled board. searching my inner self
  • Liriodendron-Blood Moon Eclipse
    Liriodendron-Blood Moon Eclipse
    A painting of Liriodendron Mansion which was started en plein air and completed during the blood Moon Eclipse.Colorful,landscape,architectural.spiritual
  • The Creation of Eve
    The Creation of Eve
    acrylic on cradled board 20" x 16" An image born of spiritual messages derived from a found seashell.

THE FOUR SEASONS

My fascination with seasonal changes led to the creation of my Spiritual interpretations of the Four Seasons...Winter,Spring ,Summer and Fall.
I completed the final painting in 2019 and look forward to exhibiting them together someday.
  • Wolf Moon - Snow Angel.jpg
    Wolf Moon - Snow Angel.jpg
    Wolf Moon - Snow Angel (Winter) acrylic on canvas 48" x 58" 2018
  • Persephone Awakens.JPG
    Persephone Awakens.JPG
    Persephone Awakens (Spring) acrylic on canvas 48" x 58" 2018
  • The Isle of Ardite.jpg
    The Isle of Ardite.jpg
    The Isle Of Ardite (Summer) acrylic on canvas 48" x 58" 2019
  • The Quiet Answer.jpg
    The Quiet Answer.jpg
    The Quiet Answer (Fall) acrylic on canvas 48" x 58" 2019