About Christie Jones
Christie Jones (b. 1987) is a Long Island based eco artist and educator whose interdisciplinary practice explores the relationships between art, water, and the coastal environment. Working across painting, ceramics, sculpture, and installation, she investigates material, place, and ecological systems through experimentation with handmade paints derived from earth and mineral pigments, oyster shells, clay, sand, and other natural and reclaimed materials.
Rooted in the coastal landscapes of Long Island, Jones’s work brings together artistic research, material exploration, and environmental awareness. Her recent milestones include a 2024 grant-supported plein air painting workshop at The Nature Conservancy’s Andy Warhol Preserve in Montauk, a two-month artist residency at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in 2025, and a collaborative residency at Orient Point Lighthouse in June 2026. In 2026, she was named a Suffolk County recipient of the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant, presented by the Long Island Association and Optimum, supporting the expansion of her educational programming. Her solo exhibition, Color Field Study: Long Island’s Shoreline Transformed into Paint, is on view at Long Island Children’s Museum through January 31, 2027.
Alongside her studio practice, Jones serves as Operations Manager at Mastic Beach Conservancy, supporting coastal conservation and community-based environmental initiatives. As an educator, she has taught more than 2,000 participants through workshops, demonstrations, artist talks, and educational programs with museums, schools, artist residencies, and community organizations. She is pursuing a BA in Studio Art with concentrations in Ceramics and Sculpture at Stony Brook University, where she has earned Dean’s List recognition each semester since returning to her studies.
Artist Statement
My practice explores the intersections of art, material research, and coastal ecology. Working across painting, ceramics, sculpture, and installation, I investigate how locally sourced, found, and reclaimed materials reveal new ways of understanding the environments we inhabit. I create handmade paints from earth and mineral pigments and incorporate oyster shells, clay, sand, and discarded objects into an ongoing process of experimentation rooted in the coastal landscapes of Long Island.
My practice is shaped by time spent at the shoreline, whether walking along the beach, surfing, observing coastal ecosystems, or collecting discarded materials washed ashore. These experiences deepen my understanding of the relationship between human activity, material waste, and the natural world.
Research and hands-on learning are central to my work. Through field observation, material testing, and experimentation, I explore how materials’ physical properties and origins inform the making and meaning of an artwork.
Education and community engagement extend this research beyond the studio. Through workshops, demonstrations, and collaborative learning experiences, I bring people of different ages and backgrounds into direct contact with art-making and locally sourced materials. These shared experiences create opportunities for curiosity, skill-building, and community connection while encouraging participants to consider their relationships with the natural world.
I see art as a way to make research tangible, bring people together, and cultivate a deeper understanding of the places we share. By connecting material exploration with creative learning and ecological awareness, I aim to create work and experiences that invite collective discovery and new ways of relating to our environment.
DOWNLOAD CV
