About

Jessica Waters Gordon (b. 1981, Tamworth, Australia) explores the human condition through portraiture, surrealism, and abstraction.

Blue is a colour that captivates—one that humans have been drawn to for centuries. It is the colour of vastness, of sky and sea, of depth and stillness. From the luminous ultramarines of Renaissance frescoes to the bold blues of modern art, this colour has carried meaning far beyond its pigment, standing as a symbol of divinity, emotion, and the infinite. In Greek mythology, blue is deeply connected to water—the domain of gods and mortals alike. The seas, ruled by Poseidon, were both a source of life and an unpredictable force, mirroring the ever-changing emotions blue can evoke. Water, like art, is fluid, immersive, and deeply tied to human existence.

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Portraiture, like blue, holds this same timeless power. Throughout history, artists have turned to the human face to convey status and power, and portraits have often served as objects of desire, romanticizing or immortalizing the sitter. Beauty in the face has long been a source of solace—an escape from reality, a way to find calm, hope, and reassurance in an often chaotic world.

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From an early age, Gordon was drawn to portraiture, whether painted or photographed. Faces became something to be studied, replicated, and transformed on paper or canvas. This fascination naturally led to the Old Masters, which Gordon now reinterprets through a modern lens. By focusing on male portraiture, Gordon explores and reimagines faces that connect the past and present, traditional techniques with contemporary sensibilities.

 

Despite the rapid advancements of technology, some things remain unchanged. Today, artists work with the same materials as painters from centuries ago: oil on stretched canvas, layered and glazed by hand, slowly building depth and light. In a world where images can be generated instantly, the act of painting—of carefully rendering a face, blending colours by hand, and lingering over a single expression—feels more vital than ever. It is an affirmation that, despite all progress, we still seek to hold onto the things that move us: beauty, human connection, and the stories that a single face or a single hue of blue can tell.