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| Believe Your Eye |
Jeff Jordan is a California based painter whose creations are absolutely surreal. The topics he picks up seem really abstract but when his paintings are seen closely, they carry a real deep meaning. I remained dumbstruck when I saw his creations and I was bound to think if dreams can be so unusual and beautiful as his paintings are.
"My favorite “ism” is surrealism. Those old-time surrealists, the Greeks, are still the most interesting to me, and I have a lot of questions to ask, which form a key component in my endeavors. Some of these questions are: What events led to the conception of centaurs, mermaids, and all those other hybrid critters? If these creatures really existed in our world, would they be a result of genetic mutation or environmental pollution? Surrealism has existed in various forms nearly as long as realism, and I consider it to be the second “ism" ", shares the artist.
His precious thoughts about surrealism and the very fine paintings by him didn't let me give a second thought to contact him for an interview or not. And he has been very humble to do that for us. Lets know more about him in the the interview below:
Jeff, please introduce yourself to E-junkies. Tell us a bit about your background as an artist.
I pretty much knew I was an artist at the age of 4. I've worked in many different media over the years, both commercial and fine art, and have become known as cover artist for the last 3 Mars Volta albums.
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| Avenging Angel |
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| Curiosity |
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| Earth Dance |
What motivates the artist within you? Who do you idolize or draw inspiration from?
I'm not sure what motivates me as an artist. It seems more like I don't have much of a choice--like I can't NOT be an artist. The people I idolize are realist/surrealist artists, a list far too long to write down. At the tip of that iceberg would be people like Jean-Leon Gerome, Salvador Dali, (I share a birthday with both Gerome and Dali) Mati Klarwein, Heironymous Bosch, Jan Van Eyck, and Norman Rockwell.
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| Hindu Snake Boy |
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| Emissary |
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| The Widow |
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| Entrepreneur |
Can you recall any incident that made you realise that you're meant to be an artist and have a long way to go?
Every time I start a new painting I feel like I was meant to be an artist. And every time I finish a painting I realize I have a long way to go. I've been painting for almost 40 years, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.
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| Friendly Advice |
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| Hive |
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| Horsefish Bronc Buster |
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| Lady Hawk |
Your paintings have unique design and components. What are your creations influenced by?
My work is primarily influenced by--and reacting to--the events taking place in the world. Especially in an environmental sense.
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| Mail Order Bride |
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| Moth Pit Stop |
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| Muse |
How do you consider paintings as a way to communicate one's thoughts?
In the past, paintings were always considered as a way to communicate the thoughts of the artist. Before the 20th century the population used to read books or look at paintings as a way to gain knowledge or entertainment. Most paintings were based on Biblical, Mythological, and other universal stories, and everyone understood the stories by simply looking at paintings. In those days artists were judged, at least in part, by how well they told the story. I prefer painting because of the trail of history, the connection to the past. I remember reading about a Competition between a famous Greek Painter and an equally famous Greek Sculptor, to decide whether painting or sculpture was the most valid form of art/communication. I don't remember what the sculptor did, but the painter did a still life of flowers that was so realistic that bees flew into the painting, trying to pollinate the flowers. Painting won, needless to say. Which isn't to say I think painting is best. I'd actually love to spend more time in the future sculpting, and am currently preparing to do just that.
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| Near The River |
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| Odyssey |
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| Portrait, after Hannah Hoch |
You possess so many creations! Which one is the closest to your heart and why?
I always am most excited by whatever painting is on the easel at any given time. Or the one I'll be working on next--after the one that's on the easel. Excitement seems to be based in the near future.
Which stream of topic is your favourite? What do you like the most to paint about?
As a surrealist I don't attempt to direct myself in a truly disciplined manner. I tend to let things evolve in an inspired way. In other words, I don't necessarily move in a linear fashion. I create most of my images initially with photo collages, and have a very large backlog of images which constantly harass my mind, saying "Paint me!" "No! NO! Paint ME! PAINT ME NEXT!" To me the main thing is to keep painting.
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| Red Masquerade |
Is there any dream project of yours? What do you dream to paint?
I'd love to paint an album cover for Nels Cline. I dream more about finishing whatever painting is on the easel than coming up with specific projects. Mostly, as I mentioned above, I find it most important to stay busy, and let time sort things out.
Other than painting, what are the other things that interests you? Are you as passionate for something else as you're for painting?
I used to think I wanted to be a musician, but it turned out to be enough to know I could do it. I'm not really a team player--more about individual achievement. I'd like to spend more time doing sculpture, but painting leads the pack. In the past, if I felt passionate about doing something, I'd go ahead and do it. If it ended up being less interesting in reality than in my dreams, at least I'd find that out by giving it a try. there's a long list of things I tried out that weren't quite right, but again, I found that out through direct involvement. As Timothy Leary said, "Just say 'Know.' "
Many other aspiring painters would draw inspiration from you. What message do you have for them?
Work as hard as you can to attain your Dream. And in these precarious financial times, don't give up your day job.
Jeff, your paintings are absolutely bizarre and I love them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and sparing your precious moments for us. We wish you all the very best!
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I am finding it really interesting, the ideas all the pictures and work is really unique unseen art.
I am finding it really interesting, the ideas all the pictures and work is really unique unseen art.