Meet Jordan Nahabetian | Watercolor Artist – Nature & Landscapes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Nahabetian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Out of all the great values and principles to live by, the most impactful one I’ve implemented is authenticity. To me, authenticity means not apologizing for being a human with unique characteristics, not being pressured into acting in a way that doesn’t feel right, and giving others the space to be their authentic selves. This principle has given me the tenacity to reach out for what matters, even through fear, and not simply wish that things would happen. Accepting that I am who I am and embracing my own uniqueness has allowed me to pursue creativity and a more interesting life. I’m still growing and my work with authenticity is still in its infancy, but it’s been a powerful ally so far in my development.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born in Colorado Springs and moved to Boulder in 2015 to attend college. I was heavily interested in fantasy and nature art in early childhood. I’d draw fairies and dragons inspired by my Yu-Gi-Oh cards and try to replicate the worlds those artists created. The exploration of a “magical” world intrigued me and that spark has been inside of me since I can remember, sometimes fully illuminated and sometimes lurking in the background waiting patiently for fuel. I took art in high school and learned techniques of different media from graphite to oil paint to colored pencil. None of them spoke to me fully at the time and I was uninspired given how novice I was and how difficult it was to achieve what I imagined in my head. The more I controlled my art, the more frustrated I would become.

As I entered freshman year of college, I went through a shift. I was opening up my mind to artistic possibilities outside of my perfectionistic expectations. This was a pivotal time where I learned to approach art as an expression and less of a perfection. I found a natural calling for fine-tipped pen art and abstraction. These drawings started with a random collection of lines and I would fill them in with various textures and shadings. I had no clue what the piece would look like when I started and that was so different from how I had approached art before.

Fast forward a few years to my junior year of college and I spontaneously decided to buy a set of oil paints. My first painting I decided to do was a sunset. I had no expectations, I just really liked the emotion my reference picture evoked. As the colors started coming together on the page, that spark in me glowed. The painting turned out better than I expected. I used what I learned in my pen art and applied it to painting. I learned to trust myself and instead of controlling the art, I worked synergistically with it.

In college, I took a class called Color that taught me about color psychology, biology, chemistry, and how we interact with it in our world. I still carry what I learned in that class with me today. I also took a painting class that taught me how to achieve realistic color using only the primaries (red, yellow, and blue). This can still be seen in my work today. I tend to use muted, natural colors to achieve a semi-realistic composition. Overall my experience in college taught me to open up to the artistic process and find real enjoyment from it.

I graduated a couple of years ago and continue to learn artistically. Watercolors always frightened me a little. My experience with them was always one of unexpected mess. The colors never interacted how I wanted them to interact. Purples would turn brown, sharp lines would turn into mud, masterpieces in my head would disintegrate. It was discouraging. With all of that said, I had not tried to paint with watercolors seriously since before my practice with oil paints and my mindset shift around art. I got a set of watercolor pens for Christmas 2021. My first painting was of the Flatirons in Boulder. The texture, the medium, and the communication of the colors with the paper happened as if I had been doing it for years. There was no friction. I’ve done many landscape and nature watercolor paintings since then. I’ve found that my trust in myself and the previous skills I learned come together nearly seamlessly in my work today. Even when my paintings look less-than-ideal, I can now understand that “bad” art is an unavoidable part of the life-long process. There is still so much to learn but the years of frustration have been beneficial.

My main objective with my art is simply to continue growing and lighting that spark. My current focus is building an art community on Instagram, but my future plans include expanding to educational content and helping others find their spark through art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had to squeeze a Colorado experience into one day, it would consist of barely being inside. I live in the Boulder area, so that’s my reference point. Of course there would be a hike involved. I recommend the South Mesa trail. It has a wide variety of scenery and vegetation and you can make it to multiple mountain peaks if your legs can make it. After the hike, I would take my friend to Boulder Creek for a cool dip. Then we’d go to Pearl Street for dinner. I recommend a place with outside seating that provides a view of the sunset such as Rio Grande for tacos. Another dinner option would be to pack our own food and drive to the top of Flagstaff for a little sunset picnic. There is an incredible view of the continental divide and RMNP from there.

If I had a full week with my friend, I would take them camping and/or backpacking. Some of the most beautiful views I’ve seen in Colorado are in Rocky Mountain National Park, Ouray, and Aspen. I recommend Sky Pond (camping at Andrew’s Creek), Emerald Lake (no camping, just beautiful), and Cathedral Lake (camping at top).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank my family first and foremost. My dad, mom, sisters, and even extended family have unconditionally supported my creative pursuits. I can’t put into words how much that means to me. I also have friends and mentors that have talked me through mindset shifts to enhance my creativity and jump into ideas before I’m ready. These ideas have skyrocketed my practice.

Instagram: @art.nahabetian

Youtube: Art by Jordan Nahabetian: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIZqZC89habUzNfrbQQKKYA

Other: Email: art.nahabetian@gmail.com