A Family of Artists: Meet Rachel, Jim & Chris Jordan

A History of Creativity

The Jordans’ artistic roots extend well beyond the three of them. Rachel had several visual artists among her relatives on her father's side, while her sister initially studied art before pursuing a career in modern and ballet dance, eventually teaching at Hunter College in New York City. 

Jim's family also had its share of creative talent, including a sister who was a musical prodigy on piano, a mother who was a talented vocalist, and relatives interested in decorative arts. Both Rachel and Jim demonstrated an early aptitude for drawing and painting.

For the Jordans, shared experiences also shaped creativity. As they explained, "All of our trips abroad (and many in the US) have focused on art and architecture." Many were also connected to Jim’s art history work. Their family's tradition of summer camping also helped cultivate a shared appreciation for the visual world of nature.

Although each family member developed an individual creative practice, there was a common understanding that art required both imagination and dedication. Hard work, patience, and persistence were recurring values in their approach to their craft.

A Family Portrait with Different Perspectives

While the Jordans share an appreciation for the arts, they each have their own creative identity and process. Rachel and Jim share a studio and are familiar with each other's painting practices, but they’re also intentional about maintaining their individual creative spaces. As they explained, "We respect each other's privacy while working and only offer critiques on request."

The couple’s artistic influences overlap in some areas, particularly their studies of early twentieth-century modernism. Both recognize the influence of Cézanne and the Cubists, including Picasso and Braque.

Chris's creative pursuits took a somewhat different direction, spanning both photography and music. His interest in photography began with a home darkroom in the basement and eventually led him to graduate school and a career in higher education. He taught at Sage Colleges before becoming a tenured photography professor at the University of Alabama. In 2021, he published Nowhere in Place, a book featuring his work.

Music had also been a consistent part of Chris's creative life. His early interests included trumpet, singing, and electric bass, with his focus shifting between music and photography over the years depending on his surroundings, work, and creative collaborations.

Interestingly, the roots of his band, Eleventh-Hour Collective, which recently performed at AVA, could be traced back to high school, when he first played with the guitarist who was now part of the group.

When asked whether his parents had ever inspired a song or another piece of art, Chris explained that the influence was often indirect and difficult to pinpoint.

"Yes, but indirectly," he shared. "For me, inspiration can be a mysterious process; it's hard to pin down specific connections."

He described creativity as a combination of memories, ideas, and associations that could unexpectedly come together in a tangible form. Sometimes, he recognizes familiar melodies, rhythms, shapes, or compositional elements in his work that may have been unconsciously influenced by people or other artists.

Chris also shared a wide range of artistic and musical influences. In photography, he particularly enjoyed the work of Minor White and Carl Chiarenza, artists whose approaches to photography explored the sublime through subtlety. He also named Roni Horn, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Gregory Crewdson among the artists who had influenced him. His musical influences were just as varied, including The Beatles, 1970s Miles Davis, Weather Report, Rush, Kate Bush, and David Bowie.

Lessons from Each Other

It’s clear that even though Chris has a wide variety of artistic influences, Rachel and Jim have also played a big role in the development of his artistic method. When asked what lessons his parents had taught him about art and life, Chris's answer was simple: patience and practice.

"Patience and practice! It's important to learn the materials, methods and language of your craft," he explained.

For Chris, developing technical ability is about more than mastering a medium. It’s about learning how to use it to translate inspiration into something tangible and, hopefully, relatable to an audience.

He connected this idea to the Zen Buddhist concept of "chop wood, carry water," describing the creative process as something that required consistent effort and everyday practice.

"Sometimes there can be dramatic fireworks of inspiration, but most often the process is a slow burn," he said.

He saw a similar lesson in life itself, emphasizing the importance of showing up, living well, loving others, and remaining open and vulnerable. As he put it, "Living the day-to-day moments, showing up, living well, loving others, being open, vulnerable, not too armored and protective."

It was a philosophy that echoed the values Rachel and Jim also recognized in their own artistic practices. When reflecting on the lessons art had taught them, they shared, "Patience and persistence are probably art's biggest 'life lessons.'"

For Chris, the important part of being a creative person was developing the practice and technical skills necessary to be ready when inspiration arrived. He believes those moments can’t be forced. They might come as "a spontaneous gift from the muses, or after long hours of fruitless toil." Either way, the work was in being prepared to recognize and act on them.

Favorite Memories

For Chris, one of his favorite memories of family creativity went back to childhood and the family's tradition of making Christmas ornaments together.

"This one's easier!" he said when asked about a favorite family creativity memory.

One year, they cast plaster ornaments of Paris and painted them. Rediscovering those ornaments each year remained something he enjoyed, particularly because of the intricate painting and the family's collection of favorites. Some, he noted, were even a little hilarious.

It was a simple tradition, but one that reflected the family's longstanding connection to making art and creating together.



While Rachel, Jim, and Chris each follow their own creative paths, their stories shared common threads like having a deep appreciation for the art + the process, a willingness to put in the work to see their visions through, and an openness to be inspired by whatever an appreciation for art and its history, a willingness to put in the work, and an understanding that creativity was shaped by both the people and experiences around them.