Don Jordan

"I am most productive when I am working on three or more pieces at one time."
-Don Jordan

Don Jordan was an award-winning artist as a teenager but, instead of pursuing his art, he earned a degree in geology and headed for the oil fields of Oklahoma. He eventually switched to working full-time as a painter and a sculptor.

Jordan's background in geology is consistently shown in his work. He paints broad areas of textured color, including segments of mosaic shapes and charcoal lines that give the appearance of cracks and fissures. An example is Vistas, which is a wide expanse of light earth tones bordered on the left and right by mosaic shapes that suggest rock gorges. Jordan says the painting is more about time and space. He explains, "Things you see in the future. Not being able to see way off in the distance."

Later in his life, Don Jordan studied and worked in ceramics under his mentor Elaine Daniels. Over time, the paintings came to look somewhat like the ceramics and vice versa.

Education and Training
Attended pre-high school art classes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Trained as a geologist

Teachers and Influences
Elaine Daniels in ceramics

Connection to Bucks County
Don Jordan was born in New Hope. He returned to Bucks County in 1998.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Jordan considered Bucks County artists Pat Martin, Joy Barth, and Barry Snyder his colleagues. He works with a group of New Hope artists including Elaine Daniels, Stanley Wollner and Grace Croteau, with ceramics.

Major Solo Exhibitions
Organic Mosaics, Nagy Gallery, New Hope, PA, 2001
1860 House Gallery, Princeton, NJ, 2001
William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA, 2001

Major Group Exhibitions
International Art Exchange, Washington D.C., 1950
Artsbridge Annual Juried Competition, Prallsville Mills, Stockton, New Jersey, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003
Coryell Gallery, Historical Society Annual Juried Competition, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Nagy Gallery, Juried Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 2000
Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Art Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 2000, 2002
Abstraction for a New Millenium, The Stage Gallery, Merrick, New York, 2000
The Museum of the City of Trenton, Trenton, New Jersey, 2001, 2002
Woodmere Art Museum, Annual Juried Competition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2002, 2003
Three Artist Abstraction Exhibition, Ahlum Gallery, Easton, Pennsylvania, 2002
Art Association of Harrisburg, 74th National Juried Exhibition, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2002
3rd Street Gallery, Juried Competition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2002
Four Artist Abstraction Exhibition, Atelier Fine Arts Gallery, Frenchtown, New Jersey, 2002
Sabine Rose Gallery, Invitational, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2003

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Williams Visual Arts Center, Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, 2002-2003
Center for Advanced Education, Flemington, New Jersey 2001-2003

Major Awards
Joe Rossi Memorial Award, Prallsville Mills, Artsbridge, 5th Annual Juried Competition, Stockton, New Jersey, 1999
Maurice Freed Award, Woodmere Art Museum 62nd Annual Juried Competition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2002
Bettina Murdock Sculpture Award, Phillips' Mill 72nd Annual Juried Exhibition, New Hope, Pennsylvania

Affiliations and Memberships
Artsbridge Art Association of Bucks and Hunterton Counties, Lambertville, New Jersey
Trenton Artists' Workshop Association, Trenton, New Jersey