Shambé Jones was born in Champaign-Urbana Illinois where he started his creative journey
at the age of 5. Growing up in a family full of artists (musicians, seamstresses, carpenters,
farmers, etc.), He has always been inspired by music and nature and uses both of these muses
to guide his creative process. Visual art was how he expressed not only how he
interpreted the world, but it allowed him to vision the world the way he wanted to see it.
By the time he reached high school, he had begun entering illustration contests and visual arts is
how he spent much of his time. Working on perfecting his skills and finding which platform would be
his focus, he attended Jackson State University, where he earned a B.A. in Fine Arts.
During his matriculation, he participated in the JSU study abroad program in Côte d'Ivoire,
Africa, where he spent the summer studying various forms of craftwork like sculpting, ceramics,
and brass casting among other crafts. By way of Drew University, this experience tremendously
influenced his creativity and kinship to pyrography. He taught himself this art form after being
drawn to the handcraft skills he learned from the people of Coté d'Ivoire and natural elements
(wood) that could be turned into art while being easily accessible. While pyrography is the
visual art form that he is most drawn to, he continues to further his skills in learning painting,
sculpture, ceramics, and mixed media.
His process of creating work depends on what medium he’s using. However, with pyrography,
he likes to study the pattern of the wood to understand it in its natural state. He also visualizes
the story, based on historical events, a moment, or a thought he wants to tell through the
wood. Finally, he likes to create an atmosphere where music guides the process of how his
vision and the wood communicate with each other.
