Trevor Jones: Painting New Worlds with Oil, Story, and Digital Motion
Trevor Jones is a Canadian-Scottish visual artist known for blending classical oil painting with animation, storytelling, and cutting-edge technology. With a background in fine art from Edinburgh College of Art, Trevor has spent over a decade exploring how traditional media can evolve in the digital age. His latest work, The Titanium Angel, is a three-minute cinematic animation inspired by a large-scale triptych painting. It follows the mythic journey of Sialia the Page through a crumbling world of rockets, loss, and cosmic transformation.
Emotion First, Then Form
Trevor begins framing his animations through emotion and narrative. “It starts with emotional tone, structure, and symbolism,” he explains. The Titanium Angel was shaped by a 4,250-word story and a physical painting composed of three panels. Each panel represented a distinct world: visionary order, spiritual transition, and collapse. These formed the foundation for the pacing, camera movement, and visual tone of the film.
Though Trevor did not animate the film himself, he developed the painting, story, and production brief, and worked closely with the team at Apollo Entertainment to guide the vision through every stage.
A Fusion of Classical and Contemporary
What sets Trevor’s work apart is the way it moves across media. His process begins with large symbolic oil paintings, rich in detail and narrative depth. These then evolve into written stories, animation, and interactive augmented reality experiences.
“My goal is to create a cinematic journey that deepens with each layer,” he says. The result is a hybrid artwork that exists as both a physical and digital experience, inviting viewers to engage with the work across different dimensions.
Collaboration as Translation
Trevor approaches teamwork as a balance between direction and creative freedom. He begins with a detailed brief that outlines emotional tone, visual structure, and symbolic meaning. “It becomes a dialogue,” he explains. While he remains closely involved to ensure consistency, he welcomes the expertise of collaborators like the animators at Apollo Entertainment. “The best results come when everyone is fully invested in the story we are trying to tell.”
Preserving the Depth of Paint
Translating the richness of a physical painting into animation comes with challenges. “The biggest struggle is maintaining emotional and symbolic depth in motion,” Trevor shares. He overcomes this by staying involved in each stage of production, working on timing, lighting, and composition, and trusting his collaborators to handle the technical aspects with care.
Tools of the Trade
Trevor’s process begins on canvas but expands through technology. Apollo Entertainment uses tools like ZBrush, Maya, and Unreal Engine to animate his work. For The Titanium Angel, the team built 3D models of every character and environment, from Sialia the Page to the dystopian machinery of the Clockwork Court.
Trevor also incorporates augmented reality through platforms like Artivive, transforming static paintings into interactive animated worlds.
A Vision for the Future of Art
Through his work, Trevor hopes to redefine what fine art can become. By merging painting with animation and emerging technology, he offers audiences a new way to engage with stories that are both emotionally rich and visually immersive. “I want to spark reflection and curiosity,” he says. “Art can live in both physical and digital spaces without losing meaning.”
What’s Next
This summer, The Titanium Angel will screen at W1 Curates in London, where it will be presented across a three-storey LED installation on Oxford Street. In September, Trevor will exhibit the original triptych painting at the Edinburgh Art Fair, bringing the physical and digital versions together for the first time.
In October, he will launch EXPOS3D BETA, a preview of a larger immersive exhibition exploring themes of AI, surveillance, and identity. This project is set to debut during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival and will expand on the narrative world of The Titanium Angel.
Advice for Animators
Trevor encourages new animators and artists not to be limited by their technical background. “You do not need to be an animator to tell a compelling story,” he says. “Bring your strengths to the process and collaborate with others to bring the vision to life.”
For solo creators, he emphasizes the importance of finding a unique voice. For teams, he recommends staying open, clear, and patient. “Animation takes time, but when it comes together, it is worth every step.”
To explore more of Trevor’s work, visit https://www.trevorjonesart.com/.