Color and culture are at the roots of Jordan Casteel’s paintings. In fact, most of her images regularly confront gender and race.
This up-and-coming artist creates larger-than-life portraits with subjects appearing to look directly at you. Her paintings almost seem to come alive while viewing them.
Join us as we learn about the meaning and tradition of Casteel’s work.
Let’s jump in!
The Story of Jordan Casteel
Jordan Casteel, a twin born in 1989, is originally from Denver, Colorado. Her passion for art began at an early age. In fact, her mother noticed her interest and helped foster Jordan’s curiosity.
Rather than ski the Colorado mountains over weekends and holidays, Casteel preferred to stay home and craft. She also took classes at the Art Students League of Denver with her friends.
Jordan received a BA in studio art from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. When she returned to Colorado, she taught school and painted at night. As her skill and passion evolved, Jordan realized she needed to devote more time to her art.
Casteel made the leap to Yale University, where she completed an MFA in painting and printmaking. From there, she received a prestigious residency at The Studio Museum of Harlem in New York.
Today, Jordan lives in New York. She showcases an element of humanity not often seen on the walls of finer museums.
Where Does Jordan Casteel Find Inspiration?
Jordan Casteel’s inspiration comes from her family, her native Colorado, and the people she sees on the streets in her daily life. Lauren’s mother is an inductee into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame for social justice and advocacy.
The influence of community activism also runs deep in her family. In fact, Casteel’s grandfather was the head of the National Urban League. And her grandmother was Margaret Buckner Young, an educator and children’s book author.
Committed to equity, like her family, Lauren began painting friends, family, and even people on the street. As she meets her subjects, Jordan’s work is nearly a cultural review of the people and their life experiences.
During her childhood, Jordan would spend hours crafting or riding her bike outdoors in her hometown. Some of her earliest subjects are Denverites and people of color.
Casteel views the values she learned from her family as a legacy she instills in her work. She’s surely walking the walk.
Does Jordan Casteel Work With Multiple Mediums?
As a child, Jordan loved to create. Anything from the craft store could keep her busy for hours.
While she’s skilled in other arts, large-scale figurative murals are her primary focus. Her subjects are almost exclusively African Americans. Photographs she personally took are also the foundation for her paintings.
Jordan Casteel paints with oils. She favors the vibrant hues of amber, lavender, and indigo, which bring out the rich tones in her subjects. In addition, she plays with the surrounding light in the images.
Inspiring Works by Jordan Casteel
We love Jordan’s approach to capturing everyday people as they go about their lives. Additionally, the way she captures a moment can say so much. Here are three of our favorite paintings.
Golden Girl
Golden Girl is a young child, probably in grade school. She wears a pink hooded jacket and pink shoes as she drapes across the lap of an adult male. The girl is tired as a child can be, sleeping in the man’s arms.
They’re sitting on a subway bench. While you can’t see the man’s face, you can feel his protective clutch as the little girl sleeps, unaware.
Yvonne and James II
Yvonne and James II is a larger-than-life portrait of an older Black gentleman sitting in his kitchen. He displays a framed picture of a couple on their wedding day. You can see they’re standing in white on church steps in the frame within the frame. In fact, it’s James on his wedding day.
The image features one of Jordan’s favorite real-life inspirations, James, who she’s painted three times. They share love and loss together, as they both miss Yvonne, who passed away.
Field Balm
In Field Balm, we see a pair of feet in lime green Crocs standing in a field of flowers. Jordan writes on her Instagram that it’s a renewed approach to community. She also recently relocated to rural New York State.
If you look closely at the classic Croc holes, you’ll see a few charms on each shoe. On the right foot, there’s a mountain and mushroom, while on the left, you’ll see a Black Lives Matter charm.
Where Is Jordan Casteel’s Art Displayed?
Starting in 2014, Jordan Casteel began exhibiting and participating in shows. She’s displayed artwork from New York to California and everywhere in between. Some of her notable works are also in public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Jordan had a coming home with the Returning the Gaze exhibit originating at the Denver Art Museum. It was also her first solo exhibition.
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum has a menagerie of collections that include African arts as well as modern and contemporary works. During Casteel’s solo show, benefactors purchased her art for the museum’s permanent collection.
One of those paintings is called Sylvia’s. The group photo displays four women and one young man looking straight at you. On the wall in the background is a poster for Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook. The painting is a tribute to this community and an important place for Casteel.
The museum is open daily and entrance tickets can be purchased in-person or online. Additionally, they offer occasional free days throughout the year. The museum also has a Free for Kids program for guests 18 and under.
Online
You can stay up-to-date with Jordan Casteel on her website. She regularly posts events and exhibitions. Click around to select talks to find links to podcasts and YouTube presentations.
You can also join her 91.1K followers on Instagram. You’ll find regular content in her posts, reels, and tags.
From the Muse: View Jordan Casteel’s paintings dating back to 2013 on her website.
Has Jordan Casteel Won Any Awards?
Jordan Casteel won a highly coveted MacArthur Fellowship. It’s a five-year grant for those who show exceptional creativity in their work, with the prospect of more in the future. The support allows recipients to be creative without worrying about other obligations.
While it may not be an official award, Jordan Castell is in the Time Magazine 2022 TIME100 Next list. The magazine recognizes 100 rising stars from across industries around the world.
An impressive woman if you ask us.
Realistic Paintings With Stories to Tell
Jordan Casteel has an innate ability to capture people in the moments of their daily lives. Her paintings aren’t mere copies of what she sees. Instead, they tell stories about simple intimacies.
We can see these pictures, know the individuals, and even relate to their activities. There’s immense value in bringing diverse people to the forefront of the art experience.
Do you have a favorite Jordan Casteel painting? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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