Danville has become the canvas for Billie Jones’ expressions of art. Her bright, geometric work appears on walls throughout the city, including a current project on North Main Street. Jones, who has been drawing since childhood, works primarily in colored pencils, oil pastels, and acrylics. She believes creativity is a gift meant to be shared, and her approach to art is straightforward: find beauty everywhere, then put it on walls where people can see it.
The Seeds of Creativity
Jones’s artistic path began early, rooted in a family that recognized and encouraged her natural creative abilities. “My family saw that in me as well and encouraged it in me at a young age, from a tiny Singer sewing machine to art supplies,” she recalls. Though she lost her father at a young age, her mother’s remarriage to a loving man provided Jones and her sister with a childhood full of adventures that would fuel her imagination for years to come.
One of her earliest and most formative memories comes from kindergarten at Sacred Heart School, where flat, colored triangle shapes awaited arrangement during playtime. “I draw on that to this day,” Jones says, revealing how those simple geometric forms planted the seeds for her distinctive artistic style—one that celebrates shapes, patterns, and vibrant colors.
From Fashion to Fine Art
Jones’s creative influences extended beyond her own experiences to her older sister, who worked as a model in the fashion industry. The print ads and modeling photographs captivated young Billie, inspiring her initial ambition to become a fashion and costume designer. When she went to college, that was her plan. But somewhere along the way, a profound realization emerged. “I soon realized that I just wanted to draw.”
Her educational journey took her from Sacred Heart School to George Washington High School, where her artistic talent flourished. She was able to place a grade above in her art studies, and by her senior year, found herself in an art class of one. That year proved pivotal, as she strategically took her two hardest classes in summer school to free up her senior schedule for what truly mattered: computer art, creative writing, pottery, video art, and painting on a scale she’d never explored before.
“That’s when I started painting on a larger scale and loved it,” Jones remembers. The transformation from small canvases to painting floors and doors throughout George Washington High School awakened a love for working big that continues to define her work today.
Creating Community Through Color
Jones’s current project, a mural on North Main Street, exemplifies her commitment to infusing public spaces with meaning and beauty. The opportunity came through a Facebook post from the River District Association that her cousin tagged her in, seeking an artist to paint a mural. Jones submitted two proposals—one inspired by Danville’s history and community, echoing the style of a mural painted across the river, and another drawn straight from her own artistic voice, full of colors and simple shapes.
The association chose the latter, and together they refined it into a design celebrating the North Main neighborhood: fruit representing Fruit Town, the Worsham Street Bridge, a shamrock for Luck Town, comedy and tragedy masks honoring the North Main Theater and arts culture, and most significantly, a sunset over the Dan River. Each element tells a story of place and community.
But it’s another mural—the one in Cardinal Village—that holds the deepest meaning for Jones. “When I learned that something I painted on a wall brought down the crime rate and brought so much joy to a neighborhood, to this day, it makes me so happy and even a bit proud to be a part of that,” she reflects. It’s evidence of what she believes most deeply: that art can transform communities and brighten dark places.
The Creative Process
While murals represent Jones’s most visible work, her artistic practice extends across multiple media. Her three primary tools are colored pencils, oil pastels, and acrylic paint—all chosen for their ability to create the rich colors she loves. “I love colors. Blending them into shapes and shadows,” she explains. “I love the way people see different things when they look at my art.”
Her approach to creating varies with scale but maintains a consistent philosophy. Studio work begins with sketches that can evolve into larger pieces. “Starting with a sketch, then I move over to the biggest canvas I can find, and then to a wall,” she describes. The transition from small to large comes naturally to her, aided by hand-eye coordination developed through sports and a newfound understanding of geometry that finally “clicked into place” during her school years. “I can see it in my mind and work it out on a bigger scale,” she says, acknowledging this gift with gratitude.
But where do her ideas originate? Jones finds inspiration in the everyday beauty that others might overlook. “There is beauty in everything, don’t take it for granted,” she insists. Her creative well draws from the way light brightens autumn leaves, the smell of their decay, the ever-changing sky from stormy to brilliantly blue, the patterns of farmland viewed from airplanes, the expressions on people’s faces, the shapes music creates inside us, and the colors that fill our dreams.
When she sits down to draw, her process is both structured and spontaneous: “My starting point is drawing the border, and from there I fill the space with the thoughts and shapes I wish to place on paper.”
Art as a Vehicle for Joy
For Jones, the purpose of art extends far beyond aesthetic pleasure. She hopes her work evokes joy and wonder, bringing up memories—happy or sad—triggered by colors or curves that might remind viewers of playing in neighborhood streets until the streetlights came on, or the candy their grandmothers kept in glass dishes, or the red wallpaper in a cherished family home.
“We are reminded daily of hardship and the pain of death, and sorrow,” Jones adds. “I would just like people to look up and see joy and know there is so much beauty in this world. And to find the balance in it.” This philosophy drives her work—a conscious choice to create art that lifts rather than weighs down, that reminds rather than forgets, that celebrates the beauty threaded through ordinary life.
Sowed in Danville
Jones’s connection to Danville runs deep. Growing up in Country Club West and attending both Sacred Heart School and George Washington High School, she found different gifts in each institution. At Sacred Heart, she was loved and exposed to religion and diverse cultures, creating a sense of family. At George Washington, she found the space to explore her artistic self and discover her identity.
“Danville is a town full of history, some joy, and a lot of sadness,” she says “But there is so much beauty here. People who stand up and fight for what’s right. There are so many stories of inspiration here if you listen to the old folks.” It’s this complex tapestry that informs her work and commitment to her hometown.
Looking Forward
Jones continues to evolve her practice and reach. She maintains an Etsy shop (artbybilliejones.etsy.com) where she creates one-of-a-kind original works for buyers. She’s embraced social media, making reels on Facebook and carefully pairing music with her visual art. Most importantly, she’s looking forward to painting more murals around town and beyond, filling people’s homes with color.
Through it all, Jones remains grounded in gratitude—for the love she’s experienced, for the talent she’s been given, and for the opportunity to make the world a brighter place. “I have been so fortunate in having so much love in my life, and this is how my God given talent has allowed me to help make this world of ours hopefully a brighter place,” she says.