About Kel Jordan

I paint abstract, mixed media paintings that are moments of freedom: where anything is possible, where darkness becomes light, where one’s own quiet strength is found, where joy, beauty and life’s challenges meet. My first touch of true freedom was riding horseback in the saddle with my mom at age 6. I was grounded in nature, at the mercy of a horse, and I felt like I could do anything. My art reaches into this childlike freedom through raw expression of emotion, chasing freedom and finding joy, while embracing the brokenness of human nature. 

It’s by embracing the darkness that we can we see the light. Each piece I create begins with prayer and rawness, darkness, or texture of life’s experiences. I hold onto a feeling and let God guide my hand as layers of memories of love and laughter are poured onto the piece, only completed with the markings of chronic pain that haunt my days of living with several autoimmune disorders. My 20 years as a wedding and portrait photographer taught me to chase joy. I’ve leaned toward capturing the small details that hold memories, a moment of loving embrace, a joyful smile, or simply a state of being ones true self and I bring this into my work as a mixed media artist.

My deep appreciation for my Native American roots combined with my love of the California rancher lifestyle influence my contemporary Southwest style. While I live at the beach in Ventura, CA, I make sure to fill my life with horses, clay, and nature to stay connected to the land and to my past.