Jonas Perkins Art

Jonas Perkins grew up in Phoenix, Illinois (a southern suburb of Chicago). His father worked on the railroad lines as a Pullman porter. His mother worked as a housekeeper in a mental institution, to have enough money to send Perkins and his sister to private, parochial schools. Perkins says of those days, "the school was great because they encouraged creativity and I enjoyed learning. But I was one of only a few Black kids and I wasn't Catholic or rich, so it was hard to make friends. And after school, I would have to run from the Black kids - gangs in my neighborhood - who wanted to beat me up because I wore a suit and tie to school." But Perkins’ mother encouraged him to become a great leader for our people and to do something amazing. She also introduced him to art by working with ceramics and giving him clay to experiment with. After high school, Perkins was accepted into the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago and studied metal sculpture. But, Perkins says, "everyone was into abstracts and that wasn't my only thing." So, Perkins decided to go south and studied in Mexico at the Institute Allende Art Academy of San Miguel de Allende. Loving the South, Perkins ended up in Fredericksburg, Texas, set up a tent, and began creating his portrait art. Later, Perkins built a house and still lives and works on his beautiful Hill Country property. Perkins, an early conservationist, incorporates a Green concept in his home, which he designed and continues to build and renovate. Perkins uses only recycled materials and has domed ceilings made from 12-foot satellite dishes, with wall and ceiling insulation of discarded styrofoam. His floors are mosaics, comprised of scraps from his finished projects. "We artists serve as ambassadors to every nation and every land." says Perkins.