About this Project

Artist Statement

'Closer Than My Breath' is about looking into the void and discovering what remains when all distractions are stripped away and you return to your essence. These photographs are my essence visualized—constructed and realized in two-dimensional form. This project is about dying, but also about rebirth. It is about pain and trauma, but also healing.

Each photograph in this series carries a portion of my tears, sorrow, joy, humor, grit, selfishness, insecurity, and beauty. Each image is an outward projection of my perspective, my fears, and my dreams. Every photograph was made from the world immediately around me.

Look, I realize that fine art photographs are not always exciting or groundbreaking. I spent years guilt-tripping myself for not being more productive, punishing myself for not working hard enough, and being so self-critical that I could barely get ideas going because I felt they weren’t original enough.

In the age of social media, slick AI videos, and moving images everywhere, these photographs might seem antiquated. But making this work has been a creative reawakening for me. My mind had long been buried under tasks, to-do lists, and tragedies, but now I feel re-inspired and excited to be making new work for the first time in a long time.

There was a time when I would have been bored with these images or would have asked, “What qualifies this as art?” Honestly, I’m done trying to “make it,” done chasing ideas meant to wow people or prove I’ve done something no one else has ever done. That’s an endless path to disappointment.

Now, I’m making photographs purely from my soul, simply because there is an expression inside me that needs to be released. This is the only way I know how to bring it into the world.

Thank you.

Project Background

This project was conceived while I was recovering from surgery for a broken femur in September 2025. I faced an extensive recovery, weeks of immobility, and long days of being home alone without work or activity. That pause became a much-needed reset of my creative aspirations.

I’ve learned that I require passion in order to be satisfied. For forty-four years I have studied light and shadow, slowly learning how to see. Photography was once my constant muse—my church on Sunday, my exhalation on Wednesday, my ultimate saving grace. When it failed me, I felt resentful and lost, unsure how to proceed. But I’ve come to realize that creative flow is not something one can switch on or off at will.

So when the fire does ignite, I’ve learned to pursue it fully until the flame fades. And then—rest, refill, and rejuvenate until the spark returns, ready to bring my inner soul once more into the sun.

For years leading up to this point, I battled creative block and a lack of motivation. But now, I feel more inspired to make pictures than ever before. This wasn’t planned; the project materialized before me like a passing cloud—forming, shifting, and dissolving into the blue sky. Stripped down to nothing but my thoughts, I rediscovered the magic and awe of photography.

This project is the most personal work I’ve ever made. It is the truest expression of my essence as an artist.

Editions

Each month, Jones releases a 3 fine art photographs from the brand new series 'Closer Than My Breath.'  Every print is a meditation on themes of pain, healing, and transcendence, blending abstraction with photographic precision. Inspired by poetry, recovery, love and meditation, these works invite collectors to slow down and experience photography as both image and ritual.

Print Details

Edition Size: Limited to 10 prints, signed and numbered by the artist

Dimensions: 11 × 14 inches (unframed)

Paper: Archival Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Ultra Smooth 305 gsm Matte finish

Printed locally with museum-quality inks

Authenticity: Each print includes a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity

Packaging: Archival sleeve with acid-free backer board, shipped flat in a rigid mailer for maximum protection