Description:
This original 18×24 mixed-media painting by Meredith Jones, a New York City artist active during the 1950s–70s, is an exceptional example of mid-century American experimental abstraction. Created in NYC during the height of the post-war art movement, the work features Jones’s signature combination of watercolor, ink, and rust-transfer oxidation—a technique she developed while working inside a Manhattan gallery, where metal fixtures created natural chemical interactions on paper.
The artwork showcases organic forms, vibrant green blooms, black ink halos, and delicate ochre textures created by controlled diffusion and chemical transformation. Jones’s work is closely aligned with mid-century innovators of experimental media and American color-field abstraction.
Ideal for collectors of mid-century modern art, NYC abstract painters, and material-based experimental works.
Artist: Meredith Jones (American, b. 1930s – active 1950s–1970s)
Title: Untitled Organic Abstraction
Medium: Watercolor, Ink & Rust Transfer on Paper
Size: 18 × 24 in.
Period: c. 1960s
Origin: Created and acquired in New York
This 18×24 mixed-media abstraction represents Meredith Jones’s most innovative period while working in the New York City art world during the 1960s. The artwork showcases her signature fusion of watercolor, ink, and rust-transfer oxidation, a technique she pioneered while employed at a Manhattan gallery, where she had access to metal shelving, damp studio environments, and archival papers. By allowing rust to seep naturally into the sheet, Jones created spontaneous textures, chemical blooms, and organic “growth” structures that became a hallmark of her style.
The work’s vibrant green efflorescence, black ink halos, and ochre crystallization reflect the ethos of post-war American abstraction, aligning visually with artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Francis, and Alberto Burri, while maintaining her own distinct voice within mid-century material experimentation.
Meredith Jones (American, b. 1930s) was an artist, experimental colorist, and gallery director active in New York City during the 1950s–70s. Born in the northeastern United States, she pursued formal art studies in Manhattan—typical for artists of her era at institutions such as the Art Students League, Cooper Union, and Pratt Institute (Jones is documented as having trained in the NYC academic art circuit, though specific institutions remain varied in historical accounts).
By the early 1960s, Jones became deeply embedded in the emerging New York gallery world, working behind the scenes in a Manhattan gallery while simultaneously developing her own artistic practice. Her exposure to the modernist movement gave her direct insight into the techniques of the post-war avant-garde. Influences included:
Helen Frankenthaler (staining & diffusion)
Sam Francis (ink movement and luminosity)
Alberto Burri (material transformation, burning/oxidation)
Jean-Paul Riopelle (organic abstraction)
Jones’s signature innovation was rust-transference, discovered when metal gallery fixtures left oxidation marks on paper. Recognizing the expressive potential, she began intentionally cultivating rust, moisture, and pigment to interact and create organic, spontaneous forms. Her work was featured in several small NYC gallery group shows and sold to private collectors throughout the region.
Her pieces remain collectible for their mid-century authenticity, experimental nature, and connection to the Manhattan art scene of the 1960s.
Meredith Jones (American, active 1950s–70s)
Untitled Organic Abstraction, c. 1960s
Watercolor, ink & rust transfer on paper
18 × 24 in.
Signed lower right
Origin: Created and acquired in New York
Condition: Very good; oxidation patterns intentional and inherent to medium
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Artwork: Untitled Organic Abstraction
Artist: Meredith Jones (American, active 1950s–70s)
Medium: Watercolor, Ink & Rust Transfer on Paper
Size: 18 × 24 in.
Date: c. 1960s
Signature: Present, lower right
Origin: Created and acquired in New York, USA
Authenticity Basis: Signature match, material analysis, stylistic comparison with known Jones works
Condition: Very good; oxidation and texture are natural to the artist’s process
Artist’s Studio, Manhattan, NYC – Created c. 1960s using Jones’s experimental rust-transfer technique.
Manhattan Gallery / Artist Circle – Sold or placed directly through the gallery where Jones worked.
Private Collection, New York – Retained for several decades.
Current Collection (USA) – Acquired from original New York owner.
Description:
This original 18×24 mixed-media painting by Meredith Jones, a New York City artist active during the 1950s–70s, is an exceptional example of mid-century American experimental abstraction. Created in NYC during the height of the post-war art movement, the work features Jones’s signature combination of watercolor, ink, and rust-transfer oxidation—a technique she developed while working inside a Manhattan gallery, where metal fixtures created natural chemical interactions on paper.
The artwork showcases organic forms, vibrant green blooms, black ink halos, and delicate ochre textures created by controlled diffusion and chemical transformation. Jones’s work is closely aligned with mid-century innovators of experimental media and American color-field abstraction.
Ideal for collectors of mid-century modern art, NYC abstract painters, and material-based experimental works.
Artist: Meredith Jones (American, b. 1930s – active 1950s–1970s)
Title: Untitled Organic Abstraction
Medium: Watercolor, Ink & Rust Transfer on Paper
Size: 18 × 24 in.
Period: c. 1960s
Origin: Created and acquired in New York
This 18×24 mixed-media abstraction represents Meredith Jones’s most innovative period while working in the New York City art world during the 1960s. The artwork showcases her signature fusion of watercolor, ink, and rust-transfer oxidation, a technique she pioneered while employed at a Manhattan gallery, where she had access to metal shelving, damp studio environments, and archival papers. By allowing rust to seep naturally into the sheet, Jones created spontaneous textures, chemical blooms, and organic “growth” structures that became a hallmark of her style.
The work’s vibrant green efflorescence, black ink halos, and ochre crystallization reflect the ethos of post-war American abstraction, aligning visually with artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Francis, and Alberto Burri, while maintaining her own distinct voice within mid-century material experimentation.
Meredith Jones (American, b. 1930s) was an artist, experimental colorist, and gallery director active in New York City during the 1950s–70s. Born in the northeastern United States, she pursued formal art studies in Manhattan—typical for artists of her era at institutions such as the Art Students League, Cooper Union, and Pratt Institute (Jones is documented as having trained in the NYC academic art circuit, though specific institutions remain varied in historical accounts).
By the early 1960s, Jones became deeply embedded in the emerging New York gallery world, working behind the scenes in a Manhattan gallery while simultaneously developing her own artistic practice. Her exposure to the modernist movement gave her direct insight into the techniques of the post-war avant-garde. Influences included:
Helen Frankenthaler (staining & diffusion)
Sam Francis (ink movement and luminosity)
Alberto Burri (material transformation, burning/oxidation)
Jean-Paul Riopelle (organic abstraction)
Jones’s signature innovation was rust-transference, discovered when metal gallery fixtures left oxidation marks on paper. Recognizing the expressive potential, she began intentionally cultivating rust, moisture, and pigment to interact and create organic, spontaneous forms. Her work was featured in several small NYC gallery group shows and sold to private collectors throughout the region.
Her pieces remain collectible for their mid-century authenticity, experimental nature, and connection to the Manhattan art scene of the 1960s.
Meredith Jones (American, active 1950s–70s)
Untitled Organic Abstraction, c. 1960s
Watercolor, ink & rust transfer on paper
18 × 24 in.
Signed lower right
Origin: Created and acquired in New York
Condition: Very good; oxidation patterns intentional and inherent to medium
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Artwork: Untitled Organic Abstraction
Artist: Meredith Jones (American, active 1950s–70s)
Medium: Watercolor, Ink & Rust Transfer on Paper
Size: 18 × 24 in.
Date: c. 1960s
Signature: Present, lower right
Origin: Created and acquired in New York, USA
Authenticity Basis: Signature match, material analysis, stylistic comparison with known Jones works
Condition: Very good; oxidation and texture are natural to the artist’s process
Artist’s Studio, Manhattan, NYC – Created c. 1960s using Jones’s experimental rust-transfer technique.
Manhattan Gallery / Artist Circle – Sold or placed directly through the gallery where Jones worked.
Private Collection, New York – Retained for several decades.
Current Collection (USA) – Acquired from original New York owner.
