Warren Jones:
Warren’s exploration into music began after witnessing Ray Charles in concert at the age of five.   Like many kids his age, his first experience as a musician started with piano lessons.  However, it wasn’t until the 5th grade, when a saxophone made its way into his hands, that a love for music began to grow and take shape.  In these formative years, Jones devoured the work of Jazz Masters and developed a musical acumen beyond his years - finding a home on wind instruments as well as a burgeoning obsession with drums and World Music.  Upon High School graduation, Warren continued his musical studies at Wichita State University (WSU) with a primary focus on woodwinds and percussion.

In his last year of at WSU, Jones’ participation in the Semester at Sea program proved to be a creative watershed that forever changed the direction and content of his work.  While circumnavigating the globe, Warren had the opportunity to make countless field recordings in exotic locations such as Vietnam, India, Egypt, Greece, Spain, and Morocco. These recordings would become a basis for many future compositions and electronic projects.

With Semester at Sea as a starting point, Warren continued his growth and understanding of World Music by completing an MA in Ethnomusicology from Tufts University in Boston.  During his studies, Warren spent several months in Ghana completing fieldwork for his Master’s Thesis, “Bamaaya, A Study of Dagbamba Drumming.”  Also, while in Boston, Jones co-founded the critically acclaimed avant-jazz duo, Enuma Elish.   Using the field recordings, along with live and recorded interactive loops to create an invigorating electo-acoustic milieu, Enuma Elish toured the country from 2000-2008 performing live soundtracks to silent films at theaters, colleges, and clubs.

Based in Colorado for the last six years, Warren founded the Hill Street Music Studio in Grand Junction, CO.  This has provided him with the opportunity to develop superior teaching and production skills. As an educator, Warren has taught countless children the fundamentals of music composition and live performance though a wildly popular ‘rock band’ curriculum.  For Spring 2012, Jones was an Adjunct Lecturer of World Music for Colorado Mesa University.

Jeremy D. Vanley:
Similar to Warren, Jeremy’s artistic abilities manifested at an early age.  A constant drawer from the time he could pick up a pencil, instead of requesting toys for Christmas, Jeremy wanted paints, brushes, pastels – whatever he could use to emulate the works of the great Masters.  Throughout his primary education, Vanley exhibited a unique talent and stalwart dedication in developing a mature visual voice and perspective.  This commitment to the craft culminated in receiving a Fine Arts Scholarship to the University of Arizona in 1995.

Along with pursuing a traditional Studio Art degree, Jeremy explored other avenues of artistic expression and visual representation.  Vanley’s love of films such as Blade Runner, THX 1138, and Brazil, with their rich visual texture and dystopian vision of the future, lead him to pursue extensive studies in cinematic mise en scene, film history, and media semiotics.  These pursuits would prove to be a source of inspiration in completing his undergraduate work at the University of Texas at Austin in 2002.  There, he was one of a few graduating seniors selected for a solo exhibition at UT’s Department of Fine Art, New Gallery.

Upon Graduation, Jeremy moved to San Francisco where he found an artistic home at the Blue Studio, an artist collective in the heart of the Mission District.  Also at this time, Vanley began to explore the medium of photography.  Inspired be the warm coastal light of the Bay Area and the colorful people of the City, his camera became an ever-present accoutrement to his daily life.  Photography was also a catalyst to explore the world, leading him on a path that included New York, London, Paris, and eventually, a four month stint in Istanbul.

After several years in professional flux that included working in Children’s Museum Industry as well as developing a career in the Logistics/Transportation, Vanley is once again reestablishing himself as an Artist.  Bringing together a rich skill set that includes painting, printmaking, photography, and performance, Jeremy plans to exhibit new works in 2012.  He will also be pursuing a Masters in Teaching at the University of Northern Colorado this spring.

The Jones – Vanley Collaboration:
A Life-Long Voyage in Music and Art
Warren and Jeremy’s friendship dates back as far as the fall of 1993 when they were both members of the varsity swim team at Southeast High School in Wichita, Kansas.  Not only did they support each other in the pool but, they quickly recognized in each other a unique artistic vision as well as voracious drive to explore and create in their perspective artistic mediums.  While their peers were preoccupied with football games and parties, Jones and Vanley would spend their free time dissecting the groundbreaking recordings of Miles Davis, exploring the Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art, or analyzing the latest art house film.

With the end of High School, Warren and Jeremy’s talents lead them on separate academic paths.  They maintained contact throughout the years, keeping up with each others’ progress and occasionally tossing around ideas of a grand collaboration.  However, as they entered adulthood, life had sent them to opposite ends of the country, Warren in Boston and Jeremy in San Francisco.  Their conversations became less frequent and ideas of working together began to fade.

By 2009, Jones and Vanley serendipitously found themselves both living in Colorado. They quickly resumed their friendship where it had left off.  As they delved into a new, more mature artistic dialogue, backed up with years of exploration and output, a wellspring of ideas and concepts came forth.  It was clear to them both that this was the time to join forces to create a singular artistic movement.  By combining their strengths in music, visuals, sound, film, and performance, the Plastik Factory collective was born. Pushing ahead in 2012, Jones and Vanley strive to create an unparalleled visual and aural vernacular.  They are confident that Plastik Factory will become an establishment of the Denver Art Scene and beyond.