When asked, Jordan Newberry will tell you her strong connection to color came through her grandmother’s flowers and her mother’s love of bright colors. Her first experiences with a brush involved painting walls azalea pink and sunshine yellow: the transformation to dazzling color was magical. In love with paintings, art books and museums, and surrounded by artist friends, she chose Art History as her college major. This path abruptly turned when the major was discontinued. Scared and desperate, she went to the head of the art department. “I’ve never had a lesson and I can’t draw a straight line,” she told him. He replied, “Good: then you won’t have so much to unlearn. And, if you want a straight line, use a ruler.” While still in school, she won a Best of Show purchase prize and Honorable Mention in the first art show she entered. Jordan graduated with a degree in Studio Art and English.
After earning a Master’s Degree in Counseling, she used art, her work in community theater and years of ballet to develop a prevention program for high risk youth through a grant from the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention. The program was designated a model program for Alabama; the brochure she designed for the program won Best of Show in a local media awards.
Born and raised in a small Southern town, Jordan has also lived in Florida and Colorado. While in Colorado, she was a founding board member of EVAA (Eagle Valley Artist Alliance) and participated in numerous shows. Currently Jordan resides in the mountains of western North Carolina with her husband, a yellow lab AnnaBelle and three cats. The cats have been known to help Jordan with her painting and mixed media drawing by contributing a few hairs for texture and a paw print or two. In North Carolina Jordan became friends with fellow artist Karin Gorboff. They frequently paint together and have recently launched a joint venture: Dream On ArtWorks.
Jordan works primarily in acrylic painting and mixed media drawing. Her paintings range from flowers and landscapes to more mystical dream-like work. She loves experimenting with various mediums. Whatever she is working on, color is a dominant feature.
