Sedona News – A new exhibit, “I Paint: The Life and Artwork of Helen Jordan,” opened at the Sedona Heritage Museum on June 7, 2024.
The temporary exhibit tells the story of local orchardist and artist Helen Jordan, and features a dozen of her works of art including oils, pastels, and a charcoal sketch.
Jordan was interested in drawing as a child, but did not study art seriously until 1948. From then on she studied with every notable artist and teacher in Sedona, experimenting with various media and genres. The exhibit includes portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and even an impressionistic painting.
A 1978 feature about Jordan in the Red Rock News included a quote from her: “I’ve never thought of myself as an artist. Yes, I paint. As a child, I always liked to draw. The margins of my school books were filled with sketches, but I didn’t take up the study of art until long after I’d been living in Sedona.”
Helen and her husband, George, operated a large fruit orchard in what is today Uptown Sedona. They retired in 1958, and three years later their old fruit packing shed was converted into the Sedona Arts Center, known today as the Art Barn. Fittingly, Helen took many classes there and even taught at the Art Barn.
“I Paint: The Life and Artwork of Helen Jordan” is open during the Sedona Heritage Museum’s regular open hours and is included with the price of admission. The exhibit will run through August before being temporarily taken down for a month for another exhibit. Afterwards, “I Paint” will be re-installed for several more months.
The Sedona Historical Society operates the Sedona Heritage Museum located in Jordan Historical Park, 735 Jordan Road in Uptown Sedona, Arizona. Open daily 11 am – 3 pm. For more information call 928-282-7038 or visit www.sedonamuseum.org.