Jordan Ann Craig
Confessions of a Fairy Goddess, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
177.8 x 165.1 x 6.3 cm
70 x 65 x 2 1/2 in
70 x 65 x 2 1/2 in
Jordan Ann Craig (b. 1992 San Jose, CA, USA) received her BA in Studio Art and Psychology from Dartmouth College in 2015. She lives and works in Santa Fe County,...
Jordan Ann Craig (b. 1992 San Jose, CA, USA) received her BA in Studio Art and Psychology from Dartmouth College in 2015. She lives and works in Santa Fe County, New Mexico.
Known for her large-scale paintings and prints, Craig’s abstract compositions are characterized by a dynamic exploration and interpretation of Northern Cheyenne material culture. Incorporating vivid colors, recurring patterns, and interwoven forms situated in grids, Craig’s work explores and celebrates her Native ancestry, posing questions about the languages of modern abstract painting and the relationship to both historic and contemporary Indigenous culture.
Craig’s research-based practice begins in museum collections and archives, where she spends time meticulously studying Indigenous material culture. Her pictorial vocabulary is drawn specifically from Cheyenne beadwork, drawings and textiles. Through the process of constructing her compositions, Craig meditates on the personal and collective significance of these designs. By making paintings on canvas, Craig questions how we consider the history, context and influence of these abstract vocabularies.
Confessions of a Fairy Goddess (2022) is a resolutely geometric painting, made up of repeated triangles, squares and stripes — symbolic of Northern Cheyenne design. Utilizing the traditional horizontal composition, Craig’s intricate compositions have an underlying, unifying symmetry creating a balanced field of perception. Her exacting application of paint honors the past — a homage to the rigorous perfection and craftsmanship of original designs.
Poetic, conversational, emotive and sometimes humorous, Craig’s titles offer a snippet into her personal world — weaving memory and life experience with illusory narrative. In transcendental investigations, she creates new narratives whilst celebrating and expanding the legacies of Native American art making.
Known for her large-scale paintings and prints, Craig’s abstract compositions are characterized by a dynamic exploration and interpretation of Northern Cheyenne material culture. Incorporating vivid colors, recurring patterns, and interwoven forms situated in grids, Craig’s work explores and celebrates her Native ancestry, posing questions about the languages of modern abstract painting and the relationship to both historic and contemporary Indigenous culture.
Craig’s research-based practice begins in museum collections and archives, where she spends time meticulously studying Indigenous material culture. Her pictorial vocabulary is drawn specifically from Cheyenne beadwork, drawings and textiles. Through the process of constructing her compositions, Craig meditates on the personal and collective significance of these designs. By making paintings on canvas, Craig questions how we consider the history, context and influence of these abstract vocabularies.
Confessions of a Fairy Goddess (2022) is a resolutely geometric painting, made up of repeated triangles, squares and stripes — symbolic of Northern Cheyenne design. Utilizing the traditional horizontal composition, Craig’s intricate compositions have an underlying, unifying symmetry creating a balanced field of perception. Her exacting application of paint honors the past — a homage to the rigorous perfection and craftsmanship of original designs.
Poetic, conversational, emotive and sometimes humorous, Craig’s titles offer a snippet into her personal world — weaving memory and life experience with illusory narrative. In transcendental investigations, she creates new narratives whilst celebrating and expanding the legacies of Native American art making.