Artwork by Ernest Jones From Leesburg

I am a baby boomer, born and raised in the segregated south ( a true Florida native). I was educated within an all-black educational system (primary and secondary Ed). In 1967 after graduation, my formal art education began at Daytona Beach Community College, as I was previously self-taught. After a year there, I transferred to Florida A & M University, where I graduated with a BA in painting in 1971. Although I experienced a brief stint as a commercial artist, most of my career was spent as an educator. I taught at Leesburg High School for thirty years. It was during that span that I hoped to retire and devote myself to painting full-time. In that pursuit, after retirement, I became an exhibiting member of the Central Florida Pastel Society. Although this group is dedicated exclusively to pastels, I wanted to explore other media, watercolor, acrylics, and oils, as well. The aspiration now is to share my work in its myriad forms and reveal my creative journey. The time is now.