Anne Jordan grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and now currently resides in Los Angeles. Anne is a painter, a writer, and an actor. She recently launched her new website, and I had the privilege of getting a tour of her work space as well as a quick interview! Check it out below!
What made you want to become an artist?
I never thought "I want to be an artist." That's just who I am, who I've always been. But my mom was definitely an inspiration. She has a tremendous flair for design and taught me everything I know about color. And I also have three brothers who are very artistic. I've been surrounded by art my whole life
Who are some of your favorite artists?
I love David Hockney. One of my all-time favorite books is David Hockney: A Drawing Retrospective. It's his colored pencil drawings and I can't say exactly what it is I love about them, but they definitely do it for me. I have spent hours pouring over that book. I think all of his works are created with joy, and that's what I respond to. It just seems like he has fun when he draws and paints and that's the way it should be. I keep hoping I'll run into him at Whole Foods. I also like a lot of Alice Neel's stuff, and if you're familiar with her work, you'll know I stole her ultramarine lines. She lays in her paintings with ultramarine blue.
Her paintings are very psychological. I get a kick out of the nude self-portrait she did when she was in her eighties. Her breasts are drooping down to her knees. Frida Kahlo's portraits inspire me too. I think she was very daring and honest. Plus, I just love those paper scrolls she used. Balthus is an interesting artist. He did some amazing things with color. Like he'd paint a girl's skin with a grayish tint and use bright colors for her clothes, and the clothes would seem almost to glow (because of the contrast).
What inspires you?
Bookstores. A great exhibit in a museum. Someone's face. A shady street. But mostly just feeling happy. Sometimes when it's a beautiful day and I'm feeling very alive and the feeling is almost too much, I'll think: I want to paint!
For all the Los Angeles artists out there - where do you buy your art supplies?
The Blue Rooster on Vermont. They're convenient, and everything is reasonably priced, especially the canvases. The people who work there are nice. But it's a small store, and sometimes they don't have what I need so then I make the trek to Pearl on La Cienega.
To check out some more of Anne's work, please visit her website at www.annejordan.com
I really love the exaggerated realism that she portrays in her paintings. I particularly like the portrait of the woman shown above. From the woman's hair to her facial features, she really gives you her point of view of this character. Fantastic work.
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