Jordan Spector

While my work explores a lot of different themes, this portfolio is mostly concentrated on bringing more attention to the issue of gun violence in America. At first, instead of making the viewer frightful, detailing the gruesome reality of gun violence, I asked myself: how could I impose a sense of discomfort and convey violence without painting a violent scene?

As not to scare my audience away but rather invite them to the conversation, I painted a blood red sweatshirt, crooked necks, and awkward compositions to maintain a feeling of violence without it being too intolerable. Forcing the viewer to immediately confront the figures in the center invites them to the image while also serving to remind them that no matter where they live, gun violence is not a foreign problem: it is right in front of us. After completing these pieces, I revised my initial approach of being implicit in my message against guns. I depicted a skull rotting away as time passes and no action is being taken, a drawing enclosed in a paper casket, self-portraits showing my own distress, and naked, vulnerable bodies: each piece taking a clearer stance against guns, until I finally used explicit language to make my statement as clear as possible.