“MY SAVANNAH II” BY JIM CONE

Jim Cone is one of the most prolific artists living in Savannah you’ve probably never heard of, but that’s sure to change with his artistic coming-out party of sorts.

ARTIST JIM CONE POSES WITH HIS WORK. (PHOTOS BY JONAS N. JORDAN)

“STREET PEOPLE #27” BY JIM CONE

“SEATED NUDE IN RED ARM CHAIR” BY JIM CONE

Cone has been developing his signature cubist-style paintings over decades, but with the exception of a few pieces of work sold here and there over the years, he hasn’t had a proper exhibition until now. The show, set to open with a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. May 18 at downtown furniture and design store 24e, will include a range of works such as Cone’s “Street People” series and his “Tybee Nudes,” along with an assortment of other works on canvas as well as a selection of sculptural creations.

Cone has known 24e owner Ruel Joyner for years. He served with Joyner on the Savannah Downtown Business Association where they became friends. Joyner has since extended an open invitation for Cone to exhibit his work in the store after a couple of his pieces sold a few years ago in one of the few instances he’s shown his work in public. Cone participated in the Telfair Art Fair in 2006 and has shown in a scattering of regional art fairs, including on Hilton Head, Jekyll Island and River Street, but for the most part Cone has adistaste for the commercial aspects of art selling.

“I’m happiest when I’m creating something,” explains Cone at his peaceful home studio on Talahi Island. “I love to paint, but I don’t like the selling market because it takes away from my painting … My desire is to have representation based in New York.”

Cone hopes the exhibition at 24e will open up the market for him in Savannah, but also provide an opportunity for him to formally introduce his work to the art-going public.

“I think it’s aunique setting where there’s a lot of opportunity to gin up some excitement with the furniture and the art. I think there’s a complementary aspect and I’m hoping to have a blast with it.”

Cone estimates he’s created somewhere around 600-700 individual works, 100 or so of which will be on view at 24e for the opening and remain on view for the following six weeks. In addition to the volume of work created, there are a number of styles Cone works in that are quite distinct from one another. His fundamental style is a form of cubism that draws from influences like Picasso and Braque, but is also uniquely his own. He also has an extensive selection of nature-inspired impressionistic paintings that almost look as if they were done by a different artist.

“I get inspiration from everywhere,” says Cone. “I love nature. Nature is definitely an inspiration and a subject that I’m drawn to. Especially the coast.”

In addition to his paintings, he also has a series of sculptures and carved and colored walking sticks that veer into folk art territory. The sculptures and walking sticks are made from discarded wood and other found objects, as are the pieces he calls “Street People,” which are constructed from flattened metal objects he finds in the road and other pieces of detritus he reclaims as a sort of dual purpose of cleaning up the environment and paying homage to the homeless.

“Because the faces have their own personality, I want people to identify with them and think about the people who are homeless living in the street and make that connection.”

He purposely leaves his “street people” unnamed so whoever purchases one can name them themselves. Cone also has an abiding interest in the basic humanitarian act of helping other people. He has served on the board of America’s Second Harvest and is also giving a portion of the proceeds from his exhibition at 24e to the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial University Medical Center. Memorial is close to Cone’s heart because of the treatment and the follow-up care they provided him, so he wanted to give back in a way that was personally meaningful.

“There’s a deficit at the cancer institute that needs filling and I just want to use my talent to give back and help other people who are in my situation to be able to continue the program, which does a really good job.”

He points out that Memorial cares for the under-insured as well as the uninsured and he wants to help provide support for that care. Cone also confesses to having not just an overactive imagination that provides the creative fuel for his artwork, but also a brain that multitasks on many different levels.

That’s why a number of aspects of his art serve complementary purposes, like clearing the roads of trash and making it into art. It’s what he refers to as “making a lot of things matter.” Many of his works have detailed stories embedded in them and the ruminations they reflect can be profound.

“WOMAN IN RED SCARF” BY JIM CONE

“TYBEE TANNING” BY JIM CONE. (PHOTOS BY JONAS N. JORDAN)

“We as a human race think we’re so superior to everything,” muses Cone about our relative place in the universe. “And we think we can make or change anything, but we’re so vulnerable to everything in a universal perspective. We live in this small place spinning around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour and we don’t have a steering wheel.”

Cone’s art is a life-affirming shout into the looming void and a response to the beauty and tragedy of the everyday.

Kristopher Monroe is a writer documenting the intersection of art and community. Contact him at savartscene@gmail.com and follow on Twitter @savartscene.