Jerry Jordan is a modern impressionist painter who is continually inspired by the work of the Taos Society of artists including Victor Higgins and Ernest Blumenschein. Much like the Taos founders before him, Jordan was haunted by the artistic appeal of Northern New Mexico’s stunning landscapes, unique architecture and ancestral Pueblo culture. Taos became his permanent home, and it is his constant muse.

When people first experience a Jordan painting, they are immediately transported to another time. They often wonder aloud if the work is historic or contemporary, because his paintings seems timeless. Jordan is fundamentally a colorist, and therefore the strongest overall reaction from the viewer is in response to his well-thought-out palette. With each visible stroke of color, the viewer is summoned to join the painter on a journey of profound appreciation.

There is a spirituality to Jordan’s work that is captured in his renderings of Pueblo life, and of the landscape that serves as a backdrop for modern and historic life in Taos. Each painting is signed with the acronym Together Always Our Spirit: t.a.o.s.

For Jordan, the act of painting is a prayer. He feels that God guides him in discovering the truth and beauty of the world, and he is drawn to paint a particular scene to reflect that truth and beauty, and offer it to Him as a gift of thanksgiving. He strives to paint from a higher dimension, to channel a sacred spiritual realm by letting go of control and following intuition. The prayer is a dialogue that guides his hands.

His greatest artistic influence was the late, great Taos artist Rod Goebel. He taught Jordan that we must let go of control, to let the Creator work through him. He taught him that a gift is something one is born with, but the Creator is not going to do the work for you, and you alone must develop your gift. For 65 years Jordan has challenged himself to figure out how to paint—with each brush stroke pushing beyond what he thought he was capable of—to be able to give back to the Creator from whence it came. 

Part of that process was to be able to understand color beyond a purely visual experience. He wanted to be able to not only see color, but to sense it, to feel it, to touch it, and to hear it at the same time. He feels that to hear color, almost as though it were musical notes, is to tap into the Divine. Over the decades, he learned how to hear color, and to paint spirit.

Jordan believes that color can ignite the spirit in the same way that music can. Composing a painting is like bringing chaos and discord into peace and lyricism. In the midst of the process he experiences personal chaos, to the point where he loses sleep. But when the painting is near completion the chaos dissipates and calmness takes over his soul. When he can breathe a deep sigh, he knows it’s done. Through his hands he is able to express the peace he is searching for.