Jordan Barker

"Gray Matter"- Subtle Monochromatic Mixed Media Painting

2020

The sensation of touch is paramount to the human experience. I became acutely aware of this when the absence and variety of touch that I was used to experiencing had been abruptly stripped from my life during the pandemic. I got inspired to create my art to reintroduce these textures and sensations back into my life and provide me with a sense of presence and calm amidst what felt like quiet chaos. The pieces I created were a practice in mindfulness that I couldn’t achieve in any other way during this long period of isolation. By layering different materials and mediums on canvases, I began what is now an extensive body of large scale abstract expressionist style pieces. Looking back, I realize that each of these pieces is a visual record of the silent chaos I was feeling around me and my own personal need for touch, presence, and an escape into an almost meditative state. Rarely enlisting brushes or other traditional tools into my process, many of my canvases have been created using my bare hands. The experience of textures and sensations of the different mediums pressed against my fingertips during the creation process, is akin to what I hope my audience can now experience as they encounter my work in its completed state. My pieces are intended to be a sensory experience and unlike most works on canvas, I encourage my audience to interact with them. I want them to touch them. Feel them. Run their fingers along the surfaces and experience all the different textures and sensations which allow them to satisfy their own needs along the way. My art is intended to be a journey. First for me. Then, for anyone who interacts with my pieces. This journey is about being present. It is about experiencing one of the most primal elements of human nature. The sensation of touch.