HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Norfolk's Harborfest selects a local artist each year to paint its official poster, which becomes a collector's item. For the 50th anniversary, organizers turned to Ryan Jones — an artist with a uniquely personal connection to the event and to the tradition itself.
Ryan Jones painted the 2023 Harborfest poster. Now, three years later, he has created the milestone 50th edition. His father, Louis Jones, painted the official poster in 1997. His grandfather, Herb Jones, painted it in 1993, 1994, and 1995.
"It's just been a very big honor to do this for Norfolk," Ryan said.
The finished piece depicts fireworks over the city skyline reflected in the water — imagery drawn from Ryan's own memories of attending the festival.
"A celebration of my memories of being at Harborfest, you know, being with my family, going out all day and seeing the ships and then at the end of the night having that celebration with the fireworks," Ryan said.
Ryan said the painting took about six weeks to complete. He worked through the composition in stages: Starting with the blues and purples of the sky at dusk before tackling the fireworks — something he had never painted before — and finishing with the city skyline and its reflections.
"It's not done until somebody sees it and they kind of react to it," Ryan said.
The poster is already on display at the family's gallery — Jones Art Gallery in the Virginia Beach Town Center. It will also be available at their tent during Harborfest.
The Jones family has been creating and selling art for generations. Louis recalled watching his own father — Herb Jones — work the Boardwalk Art Show in Virginia Beach when Louis was a child.
"I remember being at the Boardwalk Art show as a little kid and hanging on the chicken wire and I would watch my poor dad — he was talking to people all day long and then he would go home every night and paint more paintings we'd sell out every day," Louis said.
Herb became a renowned local painter in the following decades, including painting the Harborfest poster for three straight years. He passed away in 1998.
Louis, 73, went on to build a career of his own. Two years after painting the Harborfest poster, he was approached to create the cover art for the worldwide bestselling book "Conversations with God."
"They use some of the art from that in the movie 'What Dreams May Come' with Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr. — that hooked me in with John Grisham," Louis said.
Louis' art is featured on several covers of works from worldwide bestselling author John Grisham. His wife, Susan Jones, is an impressionist painter whose work hangs in the gallery alongside Ryan's poster.
"Susan — she's been the big money maker for us this last year," Louis said.
Louis said his son has surpassed the family's previous generations of artists.
"He's the best of all of us. I mean, it took us three generations to make somebody as good as Ryan, and what he painted, it's a masterwork," Louis said.
The legacy may not stop with Ryan. He said his daughters are already immersed in the arts.
"I'm not gonna push them into it — they're submerged in it, so we'll kind of see what happens, but it's definitely an influence in their life," Ryan said.
How could it not be? With three generations of Joneses having painted life around Hampton Roads.
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