Painter, teacher and writer, born poor and illegitimate in Hafod, Swansea, south Wales. He won a place at Dyneford School and went on to teach French and English, becoming head of English at Barnes Grammar School, London. Jones became interested in art in Paris in his late-twenties and published a life of Van Gogh: The Man Who Loved the Sun. Began painting in 1953, soon after returning to England from the University of Paris, and continued virtually untaught. His main subjects were the mining and industrial areas of his childhood. Although he was called “the Welsh Lowry”, Jones denied Lowry’s influence, terming himself “the Leonardo of the slag heap”. Had many years of grave illness, including six operations for cancer and two coronaries, and by the age of 63 was an alcoholic in a mental hospital.