Jon was born in Texas and has lived in western Washington most of his life. He grew up in Everett and called several Washington cities home for over 50 years. He graduated from Everett Cascade High School. Jon spent over 40 years working in the field of land use enforcement for several Western Washington governments.
"I took a stone sculpting class at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle on a whim in the winter of 2008. The result created “This is a Hoot” and I started my love for stone carving".
Jon was hooked by the “stoner” bug and began a 6-year involvement at Pratt. His teacher, a master in his own right and a wonderful person was Sabah AI- Dhaher. As a figurative sculptor, Sabah’s instruction provided the springboard Jon needed to express himself in stone.
"I describe the stone as having unique inner beauty and carving stone invites each piece to unveil that individual beauty. The enjoyment, discovery and education about the immense stresses, heat my movement that creates various types of stone over millions and even billions of years. This is what drives my creative process".
When it comes to the act of carving, there exist two fundamental methodologies. The initial approach to the act of carving involves identifying a stone bearing a unique shape or a pattern of colors that inherently suggests forms suitable for sculpting. This approach grants the sculptor the freedom to embrace the inherent shapes concealed within the material. The characteristics of the stone itself play a pivotal role in guiding the trajectory of the sculpture's development.
On the other hand, the secondary approach commences with the conceptualization of the sculpture through sketches or by constructing a preliminary model using malleable materials such as clay. Beginning with clay offers the artist the liberty to add and remove material, manipulate and contort forms, and experiment with diverse combinations of shapes. This method empowers the sculptor to nurture the sculptural concept without the concern of permanently removing stone fragments that they might desire later if their artistic vision takes a new course.