Washington, DC – HEMPHILL is pleased to announce the virtual exhibition WAYSON R. JONES: The Full Moon Is My Girlfriend, beginning on Monday, June 15, 2026. The virtual exhibition will be viewable on hemphillartworks.com, Artsy & Artnet from June 15 – July 25, 2026.

Wayson R. Jones often found himself outside in his backyard this winter, accompanied by the moon and stars in the evening air. His shadow elongated by the light of the full moon, a celestial companion he searched for each evening; tradition, coming back again and again to the same form in the sky.

Jones visits the same materials in his studio each day. He forms and sculpts Pumice gel until he is content with the final “image.” In the current body of work, the artist creates portraits inspired by images channeled from cultures worldwide – ranging from Native American and West African ritual figures to Luchadores, the masked wrestlers of Mexico. These figures are then combined with creatures, suggesting birds and fish in the titles. His process is intuitive and improvisational. He applies color to the sculpted surfaces, employing new techniques while engaging the history of the Washington Color School artists he is tied to. In the title piece of the exhibition, The Full Moon Is My Girlfriend, Jones explores masking. He sees masks as objects that provide anonymity and power; obscuring the face elevates the wearer to superhero status, able to adjust personality and attributes depending on the situation at hand. Jones creates movement through raised lines, seemingly impossible to achieve with a material as coarse as Pumice, while referencing hard-edge masters like Gene Davis.

Jones views artist heroes of the past as mountains of legacy. In A Mountain by Myself (after Gilliam) layered pieces of paper create a lush surface, directly in conversation with past works by Sam Gilliam. This piece is both an homage to Gilliam as a peak that rose above, and an acknowledgement to the mastery Jones himself has achieved in his studio. Vivid colors are paired against neutrals to create juxtaposition and high contrast. Wayson R. Jones achieves the vibrancy the Color School was striving for at the end of the last century. He has taken it one step further, employing new technologies, materials and techniques to push the boundaries of painting, drawing even more attention to surfaces, emphasizing the painting as an object and enhancing color.

Wayson R. Jones (American, b. 1957) is a painter, musician, and spoken-word artist. A self-taught visual artist, he was part of a vibrant Black LGBTQ arts scene in Washington DC in the 1980s and early 1990s. His work can be found in public and private collections regionally and nationally including the District of Columbia Art Bank and the Maryland/National Capitol Park and Planning Commission. This is Jones’ second solo exhibition with Hemphill.

Wayson R. Jones: The Full Moon Is My Girlfriend is the third in an ongoing series of virtual exhibitions presented by Hemphill Artworks.

As Hemphill continues its thirty-third year, we look back on over 300 exhibitions and cherished relationships with artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts. We feel thankful, yet introspective. We move forward in presenting more effective ways for you to experience art, by beginning a program of events tailored for more personal contact with notable artists and artworks. We aim to bring collectors and art lovers into an enhanced engagement with art.