The Shepherdstown Public Library’s Gallery Wall is featuring its first art show this month. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — “I used to be an illustrator. I was hired to do things in a very realistic style. When I started doing my own paintings, that all went away!” said Rebecca Grace Jones in an interview on Nov. 4.

When Jones left her career in commercial art to transition to creating fine art, it was all thanks to her move from Baltimore, Md. to Shepherdstown with her partner of 30 years, woodworker Judy Rand, in 2006.

“When I moved here, I was still doing illustration and some teaching,” Jones, who was also a professor at Towson University and Maryland College of Art and Design, said. “It wasn’t long after I moved here, though, that I decided it was the right time for me to move from commercial art to my own art. It was a scary leap, because commercial art is a given and you have an income. But the only thing you can do is that you have to jump right in and do it!”

Jones credited living in an artistic community, with a number of people who make a living in the field of art, as the motivator she needed to transition to her current vocation. And, after taking that “leap” out into creating her own whimsical, nature-inspired paintings, Jones found she had made the right decision, as she was soon able to make a living on her art, full-time. She has since shown her work in galleries across the country, though her most recent art show is currently in Shepherdstown.

The Shepherdstown Public Library’s (SPL) new building at 145 Higbee Lane was built with a gallery space to hold art shows, which is finally being used for the first time, to feature Jones’ artwork in “The Seriously Whimsical Paintings of Rebecca Grace Jones”

Jones

“This is the first art show that we’ve ever done here!” said SPL Director Christy Hagerty.

According to Hagerty, Jones was selected as the first artist to show work in the space, due to her excellent reputation and strong local presence. Thirty percent of the sales from the artwork in the current show will be donated to the library.

“She is a very, very well known artist. It is a kindness (of hers) to be our preliminary test. If it’s successful, then maybe we’ll do some other artists by invitation,” Hagerty said. “It’s awesome to have her work in here — it makes the space feel warmer and brings in a different crowd into the library.”

After Jones’ art show ends on Nov. 29, she and Rand will hold a pop-up art show in Evolve, which will open with a reception on Dec. 1, from 5-7 p.m. The show, which will be held through Dec. 3, will feature a new kind of artwork that Jones has recently begun experimenting with.

“This year, I started something new. I started tiny painting,” Jones said, mentioning each 3×3” tiny painting is original and unique. “We will have a lot more small things at this show than at the typical event — gift items, that kind of stuff.“

A variety of pieces by Rebecca Grace Jones hang in the Shepherdstown Public Library’s gallery earlier this month. Tabitha Johnston