JordanPotash.Com


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ARTIST



For me, art can be a quiet moment of reflection, response to world events, or intimate encounter with another. This portfolio contains a selection of my images.

Click on any image to open a slideshow of that section.



Untitled (2022)



20"x24"/50.8cm x 60.9cm acrylic



Reflections on Archetypes of the Mature Masculine (2021)



16"x20"/40cm x 50.8cm acrylic



Election to Inauguration (2020)



29.5"x13.75"/75cm x 35cm markers, paint markers



Emi (2020)



10"x10"/25cm x 25cm acrylic



Napping (2020)



12"x12"/30.5cm x 30.5cm oil pastel



Metro Riders (2018)



4’x2’/121.9cm x 60.9cm acrylic on canvas



(w)Hole (2017)



10”x10”/25.4cm x 25.4cm acrylic on canvas



Mishkan: Jewish Sacred Healing Circle (2017)



18” x18”/45.7cm x 45.7cm acrylic on canvas



All.Here.Now…No.Wall.Here (2017)



20"x24”/50.8cm x 60.9cm acrylic on canvas



Hands-Up…to the Stars (2015)



18"x24”/45.7cm x 60.9cm acrylic on signboard



NYC Subway Rider (2015)



16"x20”/40.6cm x 50.8cm acrylic on canvas



Refueling the Collective Will (2011)



18” x 24”/45.7cm x 60.9cm oil cray pas



Ten Drops for Terrorism (2011)



18” x 24”/45.7cm x 60.9cm oil cray pas



Single Issue Collages (2022 May)





Series of 4 (18” x 24” – paper, newspaper collage, acrylic, marker)


For months, I’ve been simply taking the Sunday paper from the door to the coffee table and then six days later putting it in the recycling bin without every opening it. I read much of the news digitally or see it on TV. By the time the weekend comes, I just need a break – and by the time I would open the paper – even a day later – the news was already old or I saw the stories online.


In an effort to sit with the paper, I read articles to find images across the pages and sections, clipped them, and then re-arranged them. With no preconceived ideas, I just played with layering, shifting, and overlapping. I then added paint and other materials to experiment and spend time creating.


Each artwork resembles the mixed-up images and ideas constantly coming in this time of what seems like impending doom – pandemic receding (sort of), Russian war against Ukraine, U.S. democracy erosions. The layers, the peeling, and the wiping away gives the sense of posters peeling off of outside walls – which indicates the ephemeral. Perhaps there is something here about recognizing the disorientation of this moment of history while attempting to take a larger perspective of what will remain and what will peel away.



The Washington Post (1 May 2022)



The New York Review of Books (12 May 2018)



The Washington Post (8 May 2022)



The Washington Post (15 May 2022)



Joshua Tree Watercolors (2022)





Untitled (13-14 February 2022)



Untitled (15-16 February 2022)



Untitled (16-18 February 2022)



COVID-19 Related (2020)





Masks: A Human Custom (2020)






Close in Art (2020)






Vermont Watercolors (2018, series)





During a vacation in Waitsfield, Vermont, I created a watercolor painting each morning. The images were based on something we saw or ideas that came in a moment of contemplation.



Untitled (30 July 2018)



Untitled (31 July 2018)



Untitled (1 August 2018)



Untitled (2 August 2018)



Untitled (3 August 2018)



Untitled (4 August 2018)



Taos Watercolors (2017)





Taos Sunrise (2017)



Ghost Ranch Rock Face (2017)



Ayeka Series (2012)





I began by focusing my attention on this Hebrew word that I wrote out. “A’yeka” means “Where are you?” and is the first statement that God directs towards a human in the book of Genesis. What is interesting about this statement, is that in Hebrew, there is another word that is more commonly used to ask where someone or something is – ma’tai. Scholars interpret the word a’yeka as a spiritual question, particularly because it was asked when Adam was hiding after eating from the Tree of Knowledge. In this sense, “where are you?” is not a question of physical location, but of spiritual and emotional presence.


I completed each piece on 4.5 inch (11.4 cm) square watercolor paper. I intentionally chose this small size in order to maintain my focus and to enable me to complete the image within an hour. After sitting quietly focused on the word, I waited until a particular color, shape or form came to mind. I then brushed clear water on the paper and began adding the initial colors. The paints would swirl and lose their defined form. Continuing in this way, I eventually created imagery that seemed to emerge from the lines and shapes on the paper. I reflected further on each image by writing a haiku.



Ayeka 1 (14 Oct 2012)



storming all around
secure mountain refuge place
listening deeply



Ayeka 2 (15 Oct 2012)



illuminated
paths, caves carved over time
solace, security



Ayeka 3 (16 Oct 2012



sacred well below
searching for unformed forms
waiting to reveal



Ayeka 4 (18 Oct 2012)



wave is coming in
showering color and ideas
filling the unknown



Ayeka 5 (20 Oct 2012)



standing at the Tree
wisdom or life within reach
ready and unsure



Ayeka 6 (21 Oct 2012)



should be so simple
trusting the well treaded path
yet still, I stumble



Ayeka 7 (23 Oct 2012)



peaceful observing
distance provides perspective
when’s the time to move?



Ayeka 8 (24 Oct 2012)



pale yellow light – still
do swirls disturb its peace or
is it causing swirls?



Ayeka 9 (27 Oct 2012)



looking out from in
bright moon beckons, “Look! See me!”
I do and imagine



Ayeka 10 (2 Nov 2012)



wondering what lies
beyond blocks wondering what
lies right here within



Ayeka 11 (5 Nov 2012)



floating layers shift
moving, dodging, gliding by
seeing what’s around



Set Design



You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2013)



American Community TheatEr, Hong Kong



Sleeping Beauty (2013)



Hong Kong Players



Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (2007)



Hong Kong Players



Little Shop of Horrors (2007)



American Community Theater, Hong Kong


more

JordanPotash.Com



jordan@jordanpotash.com