Jordan Beth Art and Design

I grew up in a beautiful coastal town in South Africa and at that time, life was perfect…or so I thought; I was blissfully unaware of the struggles my parents were facing in their business and it was only when we lost our home and were forced to move inland to live with relatives that I began to understand. I was 10 years old at the time.

Art had always been a huge part of me; my parents tell me that I started drawing “good” pictures at around 18-months of age.  When we moved to our new hometown, I found that I could no longer enjoyed drawing.  Years of being bullied had taken it’s toll on me and I became invisible, because as anyone who has ever been bullied will tell you, standing out, or being exceptional, drew unwanted attention and victimization to you.  It was as if drawing was an outward expression of my joy and here in my new “home” I  could no longer tap into that joy.  I reluctantly continued drawing and taught myself to paint and people started to sit up and take notice, but for me it was more out of a sense of duty than joy.

Many people have commented on the eyes in the pieces I do, as if that was the one clue I would leave to the world, about my inner pain.

When I turned 15, my parents decided to homeschool me and I could start concentrating on my art more.  I sold my first pieces to a local coffee shop when I turned 16 and would then be commissioned to draw  portraits by friends and family members from time to time.  It was a nice way to make pocket money, but not much more than that.

Being homeschooled allowed me to find myself and that inner part of me that I had locked away for so long.  I took my fitness and nutrition more seriously and decided to study something in the wellness industry while I waited for my art to start selling.  I found charities that I could align with my work, giving a portion of my sales to them.  I have found causes I can get behind and try to raise funds for, either through a donated piece, which could then be auctioned off, or a competition where the competition fee goes directly to the fund raiser.  I found that while I was focusing on others I became more at peace and it was during this time, August 2018 to be exact, that my paintings reflected that my joy and peace of mind was restored.

I am a strong advocate for anti-bullying, as well as anti-woman and child abuse, a deeply woven thread which often runs through my work and I have found that victims of abuse are able to feel it in msny of my  works without me explaining it to them.

When I turned 18, I decided to take my art and my business more seriously and I have embarked on a journey of overriding my inner introvert and boldly exposing my work to the globe.  I love what I do and I know that my work  has the ability to lift someone out of their negative or sad mindset, if only for a moment, and whisk them off to the land of “what if’s…”