Jim Jordan
Finalist
My Inspiration
As a landscape artist, I can honestly say that I do not recall experiencing that “aha moment” that instant when I was inspired to meld my two passions in life—my love of art and my love of nature. I just know these two things as lifelong passions. When I was a preschooler, which is as far back as I can remember—i was painting pictures. And as that preschooler living on the edge of a seemingly endless boreal forest, my eagerness to explore the waters, rocks and trees within that forest was palpable. This love for nature continues to inspire me as an artist to this day.
My Design Strategy
Nature’s landscape can be vast and immense. But my goal is to explore—and to invite others to explore—the more intimate, intricate and distinct facets of nature; peeling birch bark, soft-to-the-touch moss, cracking, fallen branches, rough, jaggedly eroded rock. I deliberately set out to create a multi-sense, intense mosaic where equal focus and attention-to-detail is given to the foreground, middle ground and horizon. Varying angles, textures, shapes, proportions, light, decomposition and rebirth are all integral elements of Rock Cliff and all my paintings.
My Working Process
I have spent my whole life studying, recording and painting nature. In the process I have assembled a rich array of photographic source material. So, my first step in creating Rock Cliff was to design an aggregate image incorporating different photos, a new, unique image, but one which reflected those elements integral to my overall design and painting strategy. After projecting and tracing the main elements on canvas, I blocked out segments with primarily earth tones, such as yellow ocher and burnt umber for the leaves, sap green for the moss, Payne’s grey for the birches. I use aluminum foil as a palette and change it several times during the process. I mix my oils with a media of one-third turpentine, one-third boiled linseed oil and one-third Damar varnish. I use Mahl Stick to avoid contact with wet paint, and to rest my hand. My backgrounds are as sharp as my foregrounds. So, I spend considerable time bringing out the stark, dense detail in my paintings.
Contact Details
Email: jimjordan@sympatico.ca
Website: www.jimjordanmerrickville.com » »