Collection: Jordan, Jerry

Jerry Jordan was born on May 4, 1944 to a west Texas farming family, and raised in a churchgoing Pentecostal household with plenty of music and singing. His first foray into the art world came at 13 when his mother gifted him a paint-by-numbers picture set, which he proceeded to complete, and then used the leftover paint to create his first original paintings. 

 Jordan first came to Taos at the end of the summer in 1963. He fell in love with paintings by the early 20th-century Taos painters hanging on the walls of the Kachina Lodge where his family stayed. It was through the filter of these paintings that he first saw the beauty of the Taos landscape. 

His path as a painter was not straightforward. He took a ten-year hiatus from painting to pursue a singing career, hitting the road with his wife, brother, and sister-in-law, recording multiple albums and touring the continental United States. His famous comedy monologue, A Phone Call From God, climbed the billboard charts to reach the #1 spot in June 1975, and became a classic beloved by millions. In 1976, Jordan received the Comic of the Year Award from Billboard Country Music Awards. 

Today, Jordan continues to draw inspiration from the Taos masters. His paintings are rich and vivid, seeming to capture not only beautiful images of the Taos landscapes and Pueblo life, but also the feeling of Taos itself. Using his mastery of color and strong brushwork to create incredible texture, Jordan’s images literally seem imbued with life.