Stella Jordan
Moving from Nashville to Marin in elementary school made me acutely aware of the privilege we have to live in such a beautiful place. The suburbs of Tennessee are incomparable to the lush greenery of Northern California. Despite having this widespread access to nature, my six-year-old self lacked a true appreciation for my surroundings. My favorite way to spend time was staying at home to read or draw, and stepping outside and hiking felt like death to my juvenile self. When Quarantine began as a result of COVID-19, I was overjoyed. I was able to spend every day inside, and never had to leave home, for fear of getting sick. For a while, I loved the restriction. Quarantine gave me the time to work on creative pursuits, and I developed a sense of what kind of artist I was. The only subjects I could work from at home were my close family, and I this is where I discovered a love of portraiture and figure.
Despite the initial feelings of joy, over time feelings of isolation began to set in. Before, I had despised the idea of leaving home, but now that I didn’t have a choice, I longed for the freedom I once had. When the quarantine finally lifted, I began to develop a love for nature and the outdoors that I had never had before. I went on frequent hikes with my dad, an activity that I once hated, but now continue to love to this day. This newfound appreciation of nature led me to include aspects of it into my work. Although I still work primarily in portraiture, I enjoy capturing local nature in my art. A more recent development in my journey as an artist is experimenting with new mediums, and my more recent work displays a variety of techniques and materials. I will be taking my new interests in mixed media with me to an art intensive this summer, where I will be spending 4 weeks in Chicago honing my skills. I plan to use this experience into the far future, where I will work to build a career from my art.
