It doesn't take a genius to know that an artist doesn't belong cooped up in the 16th story of an office building, staring at a computer screen for 8 hours a day in a poorly ventilated box. It is isn't conducive to clear thought, much less artistic inspiration. I would find those things on lunch break, when I'd forget about the office for an hour and walk the streets of downtown New Orleans.
But there I found myself, looking around inside a dark cubicle wondering what the hell I was doing with my talents. Would Mozart have thrived creating music on a computer? Would Leonardo da Vinci been the renaissance master he was if he was working with modeling programs and designing in CAD? I seriously doubt it. There is something in an artist that fights the structure of a 9-5. So I gave a respectable 6 week notice, wrapped up my tasks, passed my responsibilities on to the next guy in a button-up shirt, and stepped out into the sun.
There are no linguistic syllables adequate to describe the FEELING of freedom, but you know it when you feel it. The expanse of opportunities that lay at your feet, full knowledge that your destiny lay within your hands, to mold as you will. For me, traditional art was and is now the calling I feel. Working with my hands to smudge and create works of concentrated creative output that I can hold in my hands. Nothing digital, no clicking involved, no uploading or quality checks or deadlines. It isn't the way man was meant to live.. but still the machine grinds on.
My craft of choice? Pencil work. Is and has always been my passion; and what better subject than the faces around me? What better service to offer others than the ability to give their photographs, shoved away in boxes, new life through artistic reproduction? I can't imagine what I love more than sitting across from someone as they try not to laugh, sketching the expressions that make them who they are. Every work I do is a glimpse into another life, to recapture for myself the hope that humanity is good, and that people are every bit worth my time.
And so that's what I do. I'm a portrait artist dedicated to photorealism, to capturing those moments, and to working at costs that "true" artists would laugh at. Because it's not my job as an artist to turn a buck, it's to support my family, continue what I love doing, and inspire others to do the same.
I'll be using this blog to document my progress, to give insight into the art of portraiture and photo-reproduction, and to put my two cents out there.
Zen Portraits
Photo-reproductions and portraits at $5 per square inch, no matter the complexity of the image.
Live life fully.
//Jordan / Zen Portraits
