Exhibition celebrating former doctor’s life and artwork

A new art exhibition has been unveiled at Southmead Hospital’s Brunel Building, celebrating the life and artwork of a former doctor.

The exhibition called Life is a Glitch showcases pieces by Dr. Conor Jones, who worked at Southmead for three years before sadly passing away of leukaemia in 2023.

On the opening day of the exhibition, many of Conor’s former colleagues were in attendance, to view and admire the 20 pieces on show, which ranged from fine, detailed sketches to the bold strokes of oil paintings.

A book of condolences was available for people to leave messages to Conor’s family and friends, and a pianist was present to score the event.

The exhibition displays 20 pieces from Dr Conor Jones’ collection of artworks – photo: Edie Earle

Jones spent his first three years as a doctor at Southmead Hospital between 2018 and 2021, completing two foundation years before progressing into his third year in trauma and orthopaedics.

It was also where he met his wife, Maria, who also then worked at the hospital.

Maria now resides in Spain, where she has displayed Jones’ work at three previous exhibitions, but she returned to Southmead for Conor’s latest showcase.

Conor’s wife Maria features in some of the drawings displayed, including one which pays tribute to her and all healthcare workers who risked their lives to help others during the Covid pandemic – photo: Edie Earle

According to Maria, while Conor’s talents for medicine and patient care were undeniable – “he genuinely loved helping others and always had time for his patients” – he was “so much more” than that.

She added: “Conor was the kindest, most gentle person… He had a deep love for nature and looking after our planet, he was vegan because he couldn’t stand the suffering of animals. He loved hiking.”

But, above all, Conor loved creating art.

She continued: “The thing he loved most was drawing. He could spend hours drawing, always sketching.

“It was his way of just evading everything else.”

The exhibition is named after its centrepiece, ‘Life is a Glitch’ which was Conor’s last self-portrait and depicts the “loss of identity he was feeling at the time”.

Conor’s last self-portrait ‘Life is a Glitch’ gives the exhibition its name – photo: Edie Earle

The exhibition celebrating the former doctor’s work will remain open to the public until December, with hopes that it will raise awareness of blood cancer and encourage its audience to consider stem cell donation.

“In all the months that this will be going, if just one person does it, that will be the whole point of it,” said Maria.

The exhibition is also, of course, a space to come together and remember Conor.

She added: “He wouldn’t believe it. He would be over the moon with his work being displayed here,”

Main photo: Edie Earle

Read next: