ABOUT THE ARTIST
John Jordan is a wood turner from Antioch, Tennessee. Known primarily for his textured and carved hollow vessels, John has been featured in every major wood turning exhibition in the past ten years.
John is in great demand as a demonstrator/teacher traveling extensively at universities, craft schools, turning groups and trade shows throughout the US, Canada, UK and Australia. He also teaches classes at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts as well as regular classes at his studio.
"I am connected to the material of wood, as a potter is connected to the clay- it is what I do and who I am."
ABOUT THE WORK
The pieces Jordan makes are simple, but finely detailed vessels. Manipulating the color and patterns in the wood to complement the form, and the texturing and carving to create visual and tactile contrasts, are important parts of the process itself.
John Jordan initially turns his pieces on a lathe, working with fresh green logs. He sometimes uses woods from construction sites and dumps. He finds great satisfaction in creating elegant forms from material that was destined to be burned or buried. He uses a number of techniques and tools that have evolved over the years. He hand carves and textures each piece using a variety of different hand and small powered tools. The texturing process he uses is very labor intensive and can take several days to complete. It allows little room for error; one small slip can ruin a piece. As the final step, he applies a light lacquer finish to most of his pieces, including the dyed work.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
The Renwick Gallery, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
The American Craft Museum, New York, NY
The Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN
The White House, Washington D.C.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
The Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2003, "One Step Back, Two Steps Forward," Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2001, "Humble Roots, Majestic Outcome," Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2000, "Studio Wood/ The New Frontier," Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1999, "Turned Multiples," Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
1998, "Wood and Fiber," Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
1997, "The Renwick at 25," Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
