Thomas Jones (1742 – 1803): A Welsh Landscape Pioneer Born in the heart of Radnor Forest on September 26, 1742, Thomas Jones emerged from a family deeply rooted in Welsh history and land ownership. His early life, shaped by the rural landscape of Pencerrig near Builth, provided the foundational inspiration for his enduring legacy as one of Wales’s most significant landscape painters. Initially destined for the clergy – a path dictated by his family’s lineage – Jones’s true calling lay in capturing the beauty and drama of his native hills and valleys. This shift, spurred by the death of his u…