I first discovered  JORDAN CARLYLE about 2 years ago, when INSTINCT Magazine did a feature on him.  I thought he was stunning, as well as his artwork, and I clipped the picture from the magazine and put it on a collage, hanging near my desk. Imagine my surprise when we connected on MySpace and Facebook recently!

Jordan Carlyle is a fresh and exciting new artist making his name in the world of art. This 26 year old Alabama native got his start in the world of creative interpretation at the tender age of ten.

Whether it is one of his monochromatic interpretations on nature, or one if his buoyant pop art pieces, Jordan’s work embodies a consistent expression of the joy he so evidently finds in the ability to take an image of the world as it is, simple and plain, and illuminate the unexpected beauty in each of those single images.

Jordan’s bold and expansive imagination which he puts forth into each piece is inspired by his profound love for nature and architecture. After studying architecture and art at a private university in Los Angeles, Jordan devised his own aesthetic, a signature look that he applies today, characterized by a raw glamour and a structural sleekness that is so consistent in his work. The intent behind each piece is based on the notion that the true environment of a given place can best be captured by combing multiple images into one. Last year his talent was recognize by prestigious Gensler Architectural Firm in Los Angeles.

In regards to the process, Jordan says, “I basically start with a photograph that I have taken, and begin to visually pin point the different qualities that I find unique and beautiful within that photo. Then I deconstruct the image digitally, extracting each of those things I want to illuminate, and begin to manipulate the image, combing those selected elements with aspects of other images I have taken.

(NOTE- Orange room interior design by Mae Brunken Design)

Finally, I play with colors and intensities to evoke the moods and emotions to which I was aiming. The final image is complete. Each piece is one of a kind, and I am proud to personally sign my name of each of them.”

It’s his fine eye for detail that has allowed him to discern beauty not only in the simple, everyday objects of his environment, but moreover, in the adverse circumstances of his own life.

Born in Alabama, Jordan lived with his mother until he was six, at which point he was taken away from her and sent to Mississippi to live with his grandparents. “She wasn’t ready to raise a child,” he says. “I can’t hold that against her.” He also forgives the fact that she does not know who fathered him. “She was a bit promiscuous,” he says with a magnanimous smile.

 

 After three years with his aging grandparents, Jordan was placed, along with his half-sister, in the Tupelo Children’s Mansion Ministries (TCMM), a Christian home for orphaned and needy children. “They were getting too old to take care of me,” he remembers. “Growing up in a children’s home was probably one of the toughest things I have ever had to experience.”

 Taken away from his mother, not knowing who fathered him and placed in a Christian orphanage by his grandparents, Jordan’s life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. But a gift from a family who sponsored him at the Children’s Ministry may be what really saved him. “I got a 35mm camera for Christmas while I was in the home and I began taking pictures of nature and landscapes. I was just 10.”

As comfortable as he is behind the camera, Jordan is equally at ease in front of it. Besides the fact that Jordan is more comfortable in his own skin than most men twice his age, he also spent some time modeling in New York and Miami.
 
“I was spotted by a modeling scout in high school,” he told Instinct.  "I moved to New York City for the summer before heading to Miami.”     He pauses to reflect, “It’s what I really wanted to do.”

    

But some dreams aren’t always what they appear. “I hated it,” he sighs. “Being from a small town, I had no idea how competitive it was going to be.” But as Jordan will tell you, everything happens for a reason.

“It didn’t take long living in Miami to realize that I might just be gay,” he chuckles. “Miami definitely has a way of bringing that out of you!”

(NOTE- White room  above...interior design by Mae Brunken Design)

After spending some time in Los Angeles, Jordan moved back to New York city!  He told me, "I moved to NY almost a year ago to really expand my business.  I felt it was time to dive in the deep end to really push myself to grow and take my business to the next level.  I had a pretty fantastic life in LA… the car, amazing apartment etc… but I realized that I needed to be pushed out of my comfort zone if I really want to grow and evolve....I recently started Kabbalah at the center here in NY and I must say its pretty life changing.  I’m all for self improvement!    Since living in NY I must say I haven’t really had the desire to make it back to LA."


When I asked him about  a day in his life, he revealed to me, "As for a typical day for me… I wake up at 8 and head straight to Equinox  in Soho with my boyfriend, who lives with me now.  We meet almost 1 year ago while visiting NY.  I came out to celebrate my 27th bday at Elmo.  I had my best NY friend throw a huge party for me.  While I was at the party… he was at Elmo having dinner with his friend.  Right when he was about to leave, one of my best friends of 9 years saw  him leaving and called him over.  My friend had just styled  this guy on a shoot for an editorial…. And the rest is history.  We have now been together for almost 1 year this month!

Oh yeah… back to a day in my life… that was more like a year!

To be honest, I would say that my life is pretty routine… Between trying to build an empire and keep my relationship fresh and exciting and raising our new 6 month year old puppy Sephie…
 
I would say that’s about it.  And of course my friends… they really mean the world to me, wouldn’t know what to do with out each and everyone of them!"

Watch for more of Jordan Carlyle next year -
he is working with CB2 currently and will have a line of images available through them, spring/summer 2010!




Read the entire Instinct interview, where I first discovered Jordan Carlyle.

Visit Jordan Carlyle Art Gallery  and  Carlyle Art and Architectural Designs



The Best of Gay New York    and the    New Gay Travel Guides