judithhornsbyjordan

About The artist

Judith Jordan has always had a passion for painting. She says, "Artist are like sponges soaking up their surrounding and seeing the beauty in familiar objects. They are drawn to create with paint and brush, and once they begin to create, the desire never leaves. They never give up attempting to improve, hoping the next painting will be better than the last.

Mrs. Jordan was born and grew up in east central Alabama. She was the second of six children, so there was little money available to purchase art supplies. When she was a in junior high school, she would save her lunch money and after school walk to the local hardware store. There, she would purchase very small cans of enamel paints, which she used to paint of scrap pieces of plywood and on backs of old barns, wherever she could apply her few colors of enamel paint.

Her first artistic influence was her dad. He and his brother both painted, and Jordan spent hours watching them. After graduating from high school, she went to work for a manufacturing company. During that time, her boss gave her permission to attend an art class every Wednesday morning in adjacent Talladega County. She would work overtime in the afternoons to make up for time missed from work. Jordan would then drive back to Talladega on Wednesday night to attend a Still Life class. After some time spent working and saving all the money she could, she entered Southern Union State Community College. After two years with Southern Union, she transferred to Auburn University where she majored in Fine Arts. Judith earned her Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in 1974.

After graduation, Judith taught as an adjunct instructor in the Art program at Southern Union. During this time, she also helped form the Clay County Arts League in her hometown of Ashland. In 2002, she opened a small gallery where she currently teaches arts classes in Alexander City on Tuesdays. the remainder of her week is devoted to painting.

About the artist

Featured: "The Hunt" Oil on Canvas. 24x24

Jordan has benefitted from attending many workshops held by influential artists, of whom she has attended their workshops. These artist include Roger Dale Brown, Donny Finley, Dawn Whitelaw, Dot Svendson, Nancy Chaboun, Peggy Kroll Roberts, and Susan Diehl. The greatest influence has come from Julee Hutchinson. Julee has been a great help in teaching Jordan to soften edges, applying more paint and understanding values.

Jordan's Art work has also been highlighted in a variety of venues. her works were featured in the New Horizons Gallery in Fairbanks, Alaska, The Northern Exposure Gallery in Kodiak, Alaska, and The Heritage Hall Museum in Talladega, Alabama. She attended the Scottsdale Artist School in 2015, and was selected for the "Best and Brightest" exhibit in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She had a one woman show in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has spent many hours plein air painting while traveling in Ireland, England, Sweden, Germany, and Prince Edward Island, Canada. She has also painted the beautiful Tetons and the lovely Colorado mountain, she in parts of the Western and Southern United States.

Jordan finished a project of 32 paintings of points of interest in Clay County, which now hangs in the Clay County Courthouse. She was also commissioned by The First State Bank of Clay County for 36 paintings depicting the history of the county. Southern Union College also enlisted her to paint portraits of the school's presidents dating from 1922 to present. This collection also included 11 paintings of significant events in the history of the college.

Judith and her husband, Bud, have two sons and six grandchildren. She now lives on their horse ranch, where horses, mules, chickens, ducks, peacocks, and a menagerie of other farm life roam the landscape. She is never lacking interesting subject matter.

Artist statement

"Quite often, I may find a subject matter when I'm not really looking for one. I may see a face, landscape, or an animal that intrigues me, and I know I must put it on canvas.

I begin by looking for related shapes and the way they may fit together in the painting. I then think about a good workable composition. With these facts in play, I begin to look at the darkest darks, mid tones, and the lightest light. Then I select my pallet with fresh bright colors. I don't think the artist really knows when a painting is finished. There is always a desire to keep working to better the painting. We just have to find a stopping point and stop.

An artist often paints his or her emotions and follows through with their desire to create a painting. However, the most rewarding aspect of the work is when someone feels the same emotions from the paintings that I do."