Young artist to watch in 2022
Jordan K. Walker, Smith Rock Revealed, oil, 16 x 20.
State in Which You Reside: Oregon.
Art Education: Many of the skills I’ve developed are from years of self-directed drawing and painting. I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2016 with a BFA in illustration.
Style: Impressionistic realism with dynamic compositions, expressive brush strokes, and unexpected color contrasts.
Creative Spark: I’m fascinated by the natural world and spend as much time as possible exploring the wilderness.
Other Passions: Immersing myself in nature by hiking and camping; studying guidebooks on botany, zoology, and geology; and reading novels and speculative fiction.
One Thing People Don’t Know About You: I’m teaching myself woodworking techniques using hand tools to craft elaborate frames for some of my paintings.
Best Art Advice Received: Value does all the work, but color gets all the credit.
Mantra or Motto: “The more you look, the more you see.”
Favorite Studio Music: I enjoy funk, progressive rock, jazz, traditional folk music from around the world, and film scores. When painting the desert, Ennio Morricone is mandatory listening.
Favorite Work by Another Artist: I find myself coming back to works by Frederick Waugh, Clyde Aspevig, and Josh Elliott.
Future Goals: Spend more time creating large paintings, get involved with more galleries and museum shows, make my living as a full-time artist, and travel around the world and bring that inspiration back to the studio.
Price Range: $300 to $3,000.
Representation: Mindpower Gallery, Reedsport, OR; www.jordankwalkerart.com.
To read the full list of 21 Under 31 artists for 2022, click here.
This story appeared in the August/September 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.