Jessica Gordon has never wanted to box herself in as an artist. “In past shows, I’ve had people say to me that it looked like a group show, even though I did all the paintings,” she says. But in her upcoming show at Haven Gallery, she will present a unified group of works that she calls her Black Water paintings. 
Harmonic, oil on panel, 12 x 9"After experiencing a traumatic year in 2021, painting beautiful things among the darkness was a cathartic exercise for Gordon. She says, “When I look at this body of work, I feel a sense of calm and peace.”
The paintings all have a black background, but there’s a complexity to the dark water that makes them unique. “Water can be presented in such a wide range. It can be peaceful, but it can also be ominous, like you aren’t sure what lies beneath,” Gordon says. Some of her subjects float on top of the water while others move through it. 
New Wave, oil on panel, 10 x 8"In Boutonniere, a ballet dancer poses in the water. “I have a neighbor who learned ballet and I went to watch her perform,” Gordon says. Enamored with the performance, she invited the neighbor to come dance in the water and be photographed. “She came over and her mom helped her pose in my pool. It felt really good to spend that time connecting to my community while also working on art that appeals to me.” The painting also pays homage to Gordon’s time living in Hawaii with the koi fish and lily pads that surround the dancer. 
And We Are Merely Players, oil on panel, 9 x 12"
One More Time to Find You Floating features a male subject juxtaposed against stereotypically feminine florals. “I really enjoy when I can paint men, because so much of figurative art depicts women,” she says. The subject in this painting is a professional diver who was at ease in the water, and the serenity in his expression is clear.
New Wave features Gordon’s daughter floating on her side wrapped in a blanket. Her hair is fanned out on top of the water, not yet completely soaked. “I love how it looks a little punk rock,” Gordon says. “I wanted to capture the mixture of the darkness along with the feeling of something really beautiful.” 
Boutonniere, oil on panel, 14 x 11"
In Harmonic, Gordon portrays a woman from the waist down, plunging feet-first into the water. “When I was younger, there were a handful of times that I jumped into a body of water with my clothes on like that,” she remembers. “This painting reminds me of that sort of spontaneity and the freedom of movement.” —
Haven Gallery
90 Main Street • Northport, NY 11768 •
(631) 757-0500 • www.havengallery.com
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