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Jordan Hicks - The Aesthetic Beauty of the Natural World




The local art scene is all abuzz about Jordan Hicks with works that celebrate the aesthetic beauty of the natural world. His paintings are vibrant, extraordinary and energetic. His florals can be described as nothing less then a detailed explosion of organized chaos – making sense out of the chaos is what distinguishes the painting as great.
Jordan is a self-taught artist who found his passion early in life and has been dedicated to it ever since. He draws his inspiration from a true love of nature and the outdoors, which comes from many years of camping, exploring hiking trails and trips to the cottage. Growing up, he was surrounded by artists in the family. His father is a carver, his mother paints and his uncle, Don Wise, is a well-established artist himself. The family inspired and supported Jordan through his process of becoming the artist he is today. Indeed, the first piece Jordan sold went to his Uncle Don, someone who would later influence Jordan to pursue art as a full time career.
Jordan explains the ingredients of a successful artist, which he says includes being productive, consistent, and, of course, passionate about the work. 

He is so passionate about his work, it transfers honestly and quite naturally to the canvas. Jordan is diverse in his artistic mediums; with early works including portraits, Group of Seven inspired landscapes, abstracts and sketches. He is a generous, devoted and energetic artist who shares his love of nature through the scenes on the canvas. 

Most familiar are his wildflowers, which Jordan reflects began when he purchased an old farmhouse. Through the living and renovations, he would watch the landscape in the fields and described it as an ‘explosion of flowers’. From this inspiration, he got out the acrylics. 
 
In his studio, he has more than one painting on the go at all times, working intensely on whichever painting he feels most passionate about in that moment. He begins by flooding the canvas with colour and working off of that. The base may create an idea, he may work off of a photograph he took on a recent hike, and the rest comes from his mind. He finds this process exciting and challenging. He has created a style that is quite three-dimensional where the paint itself casts shadows on the canvas. 

He surrounds himself with a vast collection art pieces by his father, his uncle, Don Wise, the works of Don Fraser and many other local artists. He speaks of the inspiration and motivation he gets from the works of the Canadian artist David Lidbetter. 

Jordan’s paintings come from his own personal memories and experiences, and are all original pieces of art with his signature touch. He feels a connection to each piece produced. This combined with the vivid colours, the energy and the details that are so full of life, make Jordan’s work stand apart. He is gaining recognition locally with galleries across the areas between Toronto, Kingston and Ottawa, and is receiving offers from galleries in Western Canada. He is also featured in galleries in Virginia Beach, VA and in California.
To learn more about this artist, see his website at Jordan Hicks

Profile can be viewed on the website for The Link magazine.

 ©Janet Jarrell 2013
 






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