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Sky Jones
Sky Jones is felt by many to be a National Treasure. Some have said that he should be a federally
funded program. In short, he has been a great influence on other artists, Hollywood, Wall Street and
the American Culture. Some of his accomplishments are now legends.
Living a humble life, Sky Jones is nomadic by nature. He lives periodically without utilities to
“naturalize” and return to a “prime” (primitive) state with the environment. From 1976 on, he has had
no bank accounts, credit cards, or bills. He uses art as a currency to barter with to live.
From riding freight trains coast to coast, sleeping in hobo jungles, and eating in soup kitchens, to
living in mansions and dining with Hollywood Stars. Sky has seen America.
Sky has worked from migrant farm labor and slopping pigs in Monterey, to being a finished carpenter
in Los Angeles City Hall. He has spent thousands of hours working with the homeless on art related
projects. He appreciates the importance of recycling people and things. As a result of his experience,
Sky Jones makes insightful social commentary with his art projects.
But for a likable guy out west, things have not always been easy. Sky says he was baptized and
anointed as a genuine cowboy one cool day in autumn when he fell and was submerged in a wet
steamy cow manure collection tank. Sky states: “From that point on, I’ve been the real thing”.
Sky has milked a lot of cows. He claims his song “Cow Milking Blues” is one of the few real cowboy
songs.
Sky has owned many horses and has studied horse anatomy. He carried a mummified mule out of
the Grand Canyon on his back. He dissected, cleaned and reassembled it to study its structure.
When we look at his art, we see real experience talking.
In the ’60′s and 70′s, Sky studied under an impressive list of artists. Two are: the famous Italian
sculptor Angelo Caravaglia (1967-71) and the well known English portrait painter of nobility, Sir. Alvin
Gittins (1969-71)(1977-78).
By 1974-75, he was in Boston painting portraits of dignitaries and local celebrities including
Governor Michael Dukakis and sports stars from the New England Patriots, the Boston Bruins and
the N.Y. Jets.
Sky’s art is in the collections of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the great Lucille Ball, Ernst Bourgnine,
dozens of museums and hundreds of corporations.
Sky hit the world like a flaming thunderbolt when in competition with 25 of Hollywood’s best artists,
his art was chosen for the poster of “Meteor”, a 1978 Sean Connery and Natalie Wood film. Sky
quips, “They chose mine because it was meatier.” “It was a sizzler.” The truth is that Sky’s meteor
had more impact.
When “Star Trek I, The Movie” was released, Sky Jones contributed his famous “inter-dimensional
worm hole” painting to the promo campaign. TV Guide Illustrations and many other movie posters
followed.
Painting under the name of Michael R. Whipple, by 1984 books and limited edition prints (“Images of
Paradise”, 1980) had exploded into the worldwide market place. At the peak of this success, the
Beverly Hills Gallery was flooded with phone calls and everyone knew who Michael R. Whipple was.
At this point, “the Whip”, ignoring success, reinvented and redefined himself as Mr. Sky Jones.
As artists are prone to do and with great peace of mind, Sky Jones went into seclusion from 1984 to
1994 to meditate and continue painting. As “Meteor” has predicted there would soon be a major
impact. History was being made.
In order to remove distraction and free attention, Sky affirms his monks “vow of detachment” with a
hermit’s preoccupation with solitude.
Sky feels that identities, physical possessions and locations tend to be burdens and thus inhibit
mobility and creativity. As Sky states, “It is more enjoyable to create than to possess.”
As a result of these vows and views, Sky has been able to direct millions of dollars worth of food and
valuables to charities. He is generous. He has never received money from stock sales. When asked
about his lifestyle, Sky simply replied, “How productive is a tree that refuses to give its fruit?”
Sky is the limit or an expression of limitlessness is in the fact that he unofficially holds the world’s
record at 13,000 gallons of paint used profitably by one artist to paint with (1988-94).
One of his legendary social statements occurred in 1993 in Utah. Under Sky’s direction, 750 of his
designs were assembled by the homeless from recycled lumber and paint. The large beautifully
sculpted pieces were traded for stock in corporations. According to rumor, this generated thirty five
million dollars in stock and went to charity. This was a strong message.
The Governor of Utah personally acknowledged Sky for a profound and meaningful example.
In September 1995, Decor Art Magazine, the largest art magazine in the world, published an
interview with Tai Milan of the Milan Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas, stating that a historical event had
occurred for Fort Worth. They had hosted a Ten Million dollar show of Sky Jones’ new art work. They
sold 90% of the paintings in the show! Proceeds went to charities and corporations. Sky was hot
property.
After the sizzling Fort Worth show, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made it publicly
known that more than a quarter of a billion dollars worth of Sky Jones paintings were in the
collections of 125 corporations! Two years later, it became a half a billion dollars in over 200
corporations. Clearly the charities and corporations loved Sky.
In one of a kind original paintings and sculptures. Sky Jones was documented officially by the SEC
in March 1996 as being, “The single most collected artist of all time by U.S. corporations!” This was
and still is a major impact!
In 1997, to celebrate, Sky released a collection of songs he had written and sings. Sky tells many
stories in his songs. He once stated: “If I can’t draw it or sing about it, then it’s probably not worth
saying.”
STAR WALKER is the title track on the CD. If you enjoy Sky’s art then the song, I Feel Good and
That’s All I Need to Know will be meaningful to you. This is available from BAM along with the Sky
Jones Autobiography and The Artist’s Bible, (www.bankerart.com)
For over 25 years the dozens of awards and commendations from Mayors, Senators, and Governors
nationwide clearly detail a successful life dedicated to art and service to humanity. A few of them
are: Sky Jones Recognition Month in Rhode Island, Louisville and Kentucky. Honorary Louisiana and
Nebraska citizen. Sky’s paintings are hanging in the Oklahoma Governor’s mansion. And because of
his warm hearted ways, he is Alaska’s Ambassador of Good Will.
Governor George S. Mickelson from the state of South Dakota once stated to Sky, “It is individuals
such as yourself who see to it that our world remains environmentally and spiritually sound for future
generations.”
Sky Jones is major impact!
Reference: Bankers Art Museum
http://www.bankersart.com/skyjones/majorimpact.php