Last month we were sad to learn that muralist Mick Jones had passed away. He was a person I only met once when we gathered in the Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre to talk about restoring the Fitzrovia mural which he worked on over thirty years ago.
Fitzrovia Mural by Fitzrovia News
Sadly I never got around to really finding out about his career painting murals and am hoping that in the future other people can let us know about his works.
Since his passing there has been an obituary in the Guardian, Camden News Journal and in the Hackney Citizen. We have had a couple of email sent to us about Mick and have been allowed to share them with our readers. Greenwich Mural Workshop sent us this:
“We at Greenwich Mural Workshop were very sad to hear of the death of Mick Jones. He was a great colleague during the early years of the mural movement, always friendly and smiling, dedicated, knowledgeable and good to talk to. His murals were beautifully designed and thoughtful works, and his painting, especially of the Hackney peace mural completed for his friend Ray Walker, was just superb. A great man”.
Philip Hartigan wrote this:
“He had all the revolutionary background from his fathers world but he was a secret fellow a country boy really a dreamer . His work was a possesed kind of lyricism . I gave everyone in the squad the freedom to do their thing and the editing was done in discussion in the pub . A very hot summer .
Mick Jones , the son of Jack Jones Union Leader . Came to work with the Fine Heart Squad on the Lismore Circus Murals in Kentish Town Inn the summer of 1975 . He discovered himself as a mural painter . with all the courage and commitment a young man could have . There were problems and punch ups and plots and counter plots he set up his own group and continued .He was completely sure that he was right and when street art and mural art met under the banner of community arts it was fireworks .
He was a Buddhist non violent man and he was enraged by my decision to paint over some of the work he had done .He couldn’t accept the control of my chef d orchestra role and we had disputes . He tried to rail road the Fine Heart Squad but I liked him its part of the apprenticeship and that’s how I saw it .He was a privileged member of a revolutionary club . I will never forget his happiness when he realised what we in the Fine Heart Squad were doing . He worked like a man on fire . Bravo Mick Jones Bravo “
Philip Hartigan street artist and co ordinator and leader of the Fine Heart Squad
1969-79″.
His remaining work in London (which we are aware of) are the Fitzrovia mural painted in 1980 with Simon Barber and the Hackney Peace Carnival Mural in Dalston which was his friend Ray Walker’s design but his painting style. Both pieces could do with a repair and protection put in place. We hope to be involved with making this happen!
Hackney Peace Carnival Mural
If anyone has any information about any of Mick Jones’ other murals, please let us know. We would love to keep the memory of him and these pieces alive.
I’m presently working on a large mural in London, Canada and was so pleased to see your blog. We as a city are just starting to realize the value of public art in the form of mural work and I’ll be following your blog. London has been a bit slow to learn the value of these pieces of fine art.
I thought I’d share my facebook site on the mural I’m working on with you….it is
http://www.facebook.com/LondonMuralProjectTracyRoot?fref=ts
I really want to get our city to a point where they understand the value of this medium and it’s artists. Thanks so much! Tracy Root