I have commissioned two paintings from Jordan, both of which I treasure.  One is entitled ‘Medusa’ and was painted in response to my request for a self-portrait based on a character from mythology.  The figure depicted is of a light-skinned black woman whose hair has some resemblance to a nest of writhing snakes, though it is also most definitely hair.  The woman is apparently in her forties and her expression tells a profound tale of suffering borne with dignity.  I interpreted this as having been caused by racial bullying and was so moved by it that I wrote a poem called ‘Medusa’, telling the woman’s story, which was published in Contemporary Sonnet, an ezine of New Formalist poetry.

The other is ‘Father and Daughter’, and it depicts two faces in a sea of darkness – a father and his daughter.  His face is behind hers and is turned to one side, seemingly looking in any direction but hers.  His expression is hard, selfish and unsympathetic.  She is looking half down and half to one side, as if aware of his presence but also aware that he is not really there with her, has never been and will never be.  Her expression is one of profound sadness at having had – to all intents and purposes – no father.  However, a quiet, mature realization that nothing can be done about this softens the edge of the sadness.

I am using this second picture as the front cover for a book of poems to be published later in 2010, called A Many-Splendored Thing. To me, the ironical tension between what the love of a father and daughter ought to mean and what it does mean in this painting makes it absolutely perfect.  I hope to commission more paintings from Jordan in the future (finances allowing!)  Although I am no expert, I believe that she is genuinely gifted, both in the use of painterly techniques and implements, and in the understanding of the human heart.

Peter Austin  (Professor of English, Seneca College, Toronto)