Lawrence D.  Jones

A contemporary, gifted, and self-taught artist, with an abundance of talent.  At an early age displaying a broad range of artistic abilities and ideas.  Born in Oakland, California, raised by a single parent mother and ten brothers and sisters.  As a poor kid growing up, his first recollection of creating was going into his backyard to locate boards and old paper bags to draw on.  He then would clean them up and steal his sister’s eye-brow pencils to draw with and rubber bands as erasers.

Even if his mother  recognized his creative capabilities, she could do nothing about it, yet alone afford a box of crayons. His mother's  priority was to feed the family and pay bills.  So his passion to create was set aside, but soon developed another skill where he followed the footsteps of his older brothers in the field of athletics.

He developed and displayed skills as an all-around athlete and earned a basketball scholarship to San Diego State University - California.  At San Diego State University, he enjoyed a successful collegiate career while studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree. Upon graduation, he seized the opportunity to live and play professional basketball abroad in countries such as: France, Spain, Germany, and the Philippines. He also had a brief stint as a professional football player with the Los Angeles Rams Professional Football team. 

No matter where  professional athletics took him, he still had the craving to create, whether it was poetry, song writing, painting, or designing. With the uncertainties of his athletic career, he could never become complacent about long-term residency, but always managed to create and leave behind a few paintings, here and there. 

The years of international exposure as a professional athlete and artist provided him with a unique education, and enhanced his appreciation for international sports, culture and the arts.  After the completion of his athletic career, he renewed and pursued his passion for art by returning home to Oakland, with the desire to develop a career in the arts while reaching out to youth and the sports communities. 

He began by distinguishing himself with the creation and compilation of perhaps one of the most interesting sports collections around. A collection that captured the attention of some of the world's top athletic greats, celebrities, news media and politicians. Lawrence Jones is not far from widening his audience and achieving his long-term goals of inspiring youth and captivating the international sports and art communities. 

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