About the artist

It all started when…

I Was 10 years old living in Saskatoon SK. I was young and Dreamt of being a pro Skateboarder. As a pro skater I would surely need to have all the pro gear. So off to the shed I went to grab a can of gloss red spray paint my father had lying about. I needed this to make my Walmart board have some fancy new red trucks. I sprayed those bad boys quickly with no masking needed after all I am a pro at just 10 years of age!

After my prize winning trucks had been handcrafted, I felt an immense urge to stylize something else… Undoubtedly I took to the street, by which I mean the curb that that I skated on everyday and ensured the public knew; this was my spot! (Jordan#911) was written in what one would perceive as edgy for 2003. I was stoked on my new tag so much so I wrote it on every dumpster on the block to copy where other “cool tags” had been placed.

After a swift tongue lashing from my mother I went on hiatus. After about a year of Tony Hawk Underground and the new video game release “Getting Up”- By Marc Ecko. I was obsessed with graffiti letters, Spray paint and the sense of security I gained from it. I started Tagging the local tunnels connecting “the Alphabets” to Fairhaven and the opposite sides of the tracks- Confederation. My Tag was beginning to garner attention from peers. This new identity I was creating helped me to escape my parents divorce, bullying and the drug and alcohol abuse I witnessed with my Mother.

The Escape was an alter ego. As a result of my alter ego I found myself incarcerated often throughout my youth. In Highschool I joined multiple Graffiti crews. These associations for me eventually lead to my gang involvement and further enhanced my identity crisis. During my last stint incarcerated I was dealt all the difficult cards one could imagine. Fortunately the institution I was in (Orcadia Youth Residence) had two aces up the sleeve, Jeff and Murray. These two “staff” as we called them helped me see things as I had never done so before.

I was first given the opportunity by Murray to calm my nerves, during a “Lock Down” I had caused over a phone call. The phone call was not as planned and my mother refused to visit again after several months of no contact. The conversation with Murray that transpired literally gave me a new lease on my self worth.

My next big break came from the big man himself… By that I Mean Jeff, The hulking 280 pound former bodybuilder! Jeff treated me with humility and dignity. He was well aware of my “Artwork” as it had landed me in room confinement numerous times. Upon my last room confinement which had me hard pressed for residency at this facility; Jeff got to work thinking of ways to serve me now and into the future. He bargained for another chance with me. He asked me to draw the names of multiple business’ in the Yorkton, SK area. He told me we would present them with the art and see if they would allow me to paint the work for exposure. Most flatly declined, except the “Godfrey Dean Art Gallery”. This opportunity was my turning point in life. For the first time in my life I had been labeled “Artist” by someone of merit.

After 3 years of gang involvement I walked away from it all. I continued my education while incarcerated and upon my release continued to finish high school graduating with high honours. It wasn’t easy learning to live on my own at 17 while still in school working at one point 3 jobs. This Experience was necessary for me to develop the character traits I now possess.

I say Hip-Hop saves lives because I feel it saved mine. It offered me a path I could go down, one that I felt I had a place to be free. We often call our Graffiti “Freestyle”. We call it this because a freestyle is something you feel. It’s how you resonate with your subject matter or music. As an artist for over a decade now I believe you must go places within your mind first before you put pen to paper.

“Creativity is not something you conjure up at will, it’s apart of your identity. It lays dormant inside of us and experience is the action that awakens the art.” - Jordoh