Simon Jones's colour driven painting exhibition at the "gallery@oxo" has been in the making for several years. He uses the lived experience to explore the need for "hope” and uncover the essence of a personal meaning in our relationships with "sustainability." The works respond to the paradoxical human struggle to impose control and order upon an inherently complex, entropic, and changing world.

Rather than being overt campaigns or symbolic depictions, the paintings are reflections on everyday experiences. For instance, the painting "Kiss of Desert Rain" was stimulated by rain showers that carried orange dust from the Sahara over the English Channel during a recent heat wave. The unusually hot summer, the rain showers and connection with the desert drew poignant connections for the artist.

The painting reflects a rising awareness about desertification, a silent crisis that is destabilising communities on a global scale. Even though the white cloud, with its delicate shades, conveys a positive feeling. This contrasts with the yellow background that hints at the degradation of lands and the distress of this imaginary landscape. By exploring the world through creative and aesthetic pictorial expression, Simon pushes the boundaries of preconceptions, in this case to emphasise the relevance of environmental issues.

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Simon uses "Gaia" as reference to both modern and ancient aspects of humanity's continuing attempt to bring meaning and order to their world. Central to the original Greek myths is the mortals' place within it, which is subservient to the gods capricious and malevolent attitude towards them. Modern sustainability myths often rationalise ordinary peoples' lives out of their narratives. In both cases the individual, excepting "heroes," is subservient to some greater power or idea.