ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Murals are becoming more and more popular around Central Florida, but have you ever wondered about the artist behind them?
Jordan Jones has murals at the Orlando Parks and Recreation Building, in the My Brother’s Keeper office, on Parramore Avenue outside of a hair salon and he has a mural on a preschool on Bumby Avenue an Kaley Avenue.
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He also has his artwork on display in Orlando’s City Hall for Black History Month.
He said it means a lot to him to see his pieces around the city.
“I feel like I took a chance on myself and I’m seeing it pay off. It makes me feel like great things are possible when you try hard and fully commit to your goal,” Jones said.
The artist was born and raised in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2012. It took several years, but he’s been able to get himself to a place where he does art full-time. He moved to Orlando in 2021.
“I was able to move to Orlando without any connections and continue making a living as a full-time artist. I create custom paintings, teach paint classes, display and sell art at events, and as of lately, I’ve been doing a lot of murals,” Jones said.
One of his murals can be found inside the Orlando Parks and Recreation building on North Primrose Avenue.
“It is a portrait of Obama, MLK and a group of kids sitting on top of a pile of books. It is meant to represent the past, present and future Black leaders in America,” Jones said.
His other mural is at a hair salon on Parramore Avenue. It shows three sets of Black women getting their hair done.
“It has a similar theme, one being in black and white and representing the older generation and beginning of Black hairstyles in America. The next represents the 80s and 90s culture and style, and the last represents the current culture and styles,” Jones said.
“I feel like it’s important for people in the community to see art that looks like them,” he explained.
He also talked about his mural on the preschool on Kaley Avenue.
“It has a bunch of kids and is meant to represent the STEAM learning system. It has kids exploring science, music, art, reading and is in a playful, cartoon style,” Jones said.
For Black History Month, he has two pieces being displayed in Orlando’s City Hall. The first one is a portrait of Tupac and it’s titled, “Only God Can Judge Me.”
“As such a famous rapper, he was often judged harshly by critics and people believed his lyrics directly reflected his personality. In this image, you see him looking up into the sky with his hands together, as if he’s looking at God asking for forgiveness and understanding, knowing that the judgement of others doesn’t matter, only the judgement of God,” Jones said.
His second painting is called “Hov-squiat.” It’s a portrait of Jay-Z with elements of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s expressive style.
“This piece shows him with his current hairstyle which was inspired by Basquiat. He is also a adamant collector of Basquiat’s work and mentions him numerous times in his music. Throughout the painting, you will find small details that highlight something about Jay-Z and his career,” Jones said.
The artist explained he’s inspired by greatness and people who have achieved a high level of greatness.
“I also want to be recognized as someone who has achieved those same levels of greatness so I strive for that in my career. I always want to get better and even when people see my work and say it’s so amazing and realistic, I always look at what I could do better next time. I want people to see my work and be inspired to do something great, because we all have that potential inside of us,” Jones said.
You can find more samples of his work here. He also posts even more of his work on Instagram. His two pieces at Orlando’s City Hall will be on display until March 31.