JON MICHAELIS
Contemporary Modern Pop Art
Making the World More Colorful
Things I Love
I love the vibrancy of contemporary culture, its new ideas and its fresh opinions.
I love graffiti-art and child-art, thought-provoking music and stirring literature.
Anyone with the courage to think differently has my ear and my heart.
About Jon
Jon was born in Ndola, a small town in Zambia. Shortly after graduating in Fine Arts (with Distinction in Painting) from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, he moved with his family to Israel in 1984.
Jon is a versatile and constantly evolving artist, his work infused with the energy, sensations and textures of his native Africa and other places he has visited. Using varied materials, he portrays a range of subjects in both traditional and modern styles. Characterizing Jon’s art are vibrant color, innovative perception, and a remarkable ongoing dialogue between controlled intent and design combined with unusual materials and freedom of execution.
His art explores the inner narrative of the subject. The portraits show the outer image, but simultaneously express the inner life and energy of the personality.
He uses pop culture and iconic imagery to reflect contemporary life and is constantly finding poetic ways to describe his very personal vision, reflecting the vibrancy, humor, and dynamism of life.
Jon’s paintings and sculptures are displayed in numerous collections in Israel and worldwide.
My Favorite Quotations
"Art is, above all, about inspiring human emotions."
Yuval Noah Harari.
"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
Edgar Degas.
About My Art
My quest has always been a celebration of the tapestry of life both in man and nature. I am fascinated by the interplay of the outer form and substance and inner life-force and spirit.
Color and the excitement of unconventional materials are the forces that drive my art. I trace this to my Zambian childhood when I watched the Bemba people use discarded wire, colored beads, plastic, rubber tires and more to create both practical objects and things of beauty. This, more than anything, showed me how unlikely and unwanted materials can be transformed into unexpectedly beautiful objects.
My main medium today is transparent acrylic glass (also known as Plexiglas, Lucite, and Perspex). I love the way it allows me to paint on both its sides, achieving a subtle three-dimensionality.