Meet Jordan Taub, Painter & Glass Artist

From an article with CanvasRebel magazine – Read the full interview here

We were lucky to catch up with Jordan Taub recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The WHY behind my mission is a drive to build community and foster growing creativity within adults. We so often transition from the classroom and enter the work force, leaving such little time for creative pursuits. I’m a believer in that we never stop evolving and learning. It has always been my passion to facilitate a safe space for people to come and be their most authentic selves through artistic expression.

Jordan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jordan Taub and I am an artist and art educator from Dallas, Texas. The owner and studio instructor at Jordan Taub Studios LLC. Where we create stained and fused glass artworks. The studio focuses on small group classes for adults. In 2010 I graduated from the University of North Texas with a BFA in Visual Arts Studies. On some level, I have always known that my life would revolve around art advocacy. No matter what direction the road may lead, it brings me back to my purpose. Prior to 2020, I was a public school art teacher in the Dallas/Ft Worth area for over a decade. I was an Art Magnet Director, and taught all mediums to secondary students. During the pandemic I found myself in the midst of a plot twist, both personally and professionally. Exploring oil painting, publishing a coloring book for all ages, saying yes to new opportunities, and showing my paintings in gallery shows. This is when I met my mentor Nan Phillips. I was dropping off a couple of paintings for a juried exhibition at Dallas Love Field Airport, and walked right into the magic that was her glass art studio. I was absolutely mesmerized. She was teaching a group of glass artists, and that is when my entire life changed. This was the beginning of our serendipitous story. Nan trained me in everything that I know about the art of glass and business. I was working with her daily while also teaching painting classes at J’s Art Studio. There was a great deal of blood, sweat, and tears. It was absolutely worth it. She trained me to be able to teach others from day one. From cold working glass/soldering to operating a kiln with highly detailed scientific firing schedules. It was an incredible experience. Nan ran her own studio for over 20 years and was looking for someone to take over her legacy. In 2022, I opened the doors to Jordan Taub Studios, and immediately began teaching creatives in the community how to create their own fused/kiln formed and stained glass artworks. I facilitate classes and lean towards an open studio concept. Everyone’s work is unique and different. Exactly, as Nan operated her studio. I am so grateful for my mentor. Growing this business has afforded me the luxury of building relationships, spending time with my family and explore more of my own art journey. My painting and illustrative style transferred to my glasswork seamlessly. Every so often, I will get into the community and participate in craft markets, I also have an Etsy store front. While I do sell my work, my number one priority is always my students.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2020 I stepped away from the public school classroom to care for family. I never thought I would leave education and was a decade into my career. I loved working with highly gifted and growth mindset individuals. As an art educator, I was involved at the local and state level. Often seeking special programing at the national level and travel for continuous education on my breaks. I was heavily invested in my career, it was my identity. Then life happened. My father lost his battle with cancer while the world was locked down, and found myself as a caregiver to other close family members. At this point it was critical to restructure my life to best serve my family in a time of need. I had no clue what would be next in my story. I knew whatever was next, would need to be carefully curated, to be able to serve my purpose, while also showing up for my loved ones. This is when I began training with Nan and working with glass. I learned an entirely new medium in an intensive training to be able to build a new life. Within a year, I was ready to open my business. Still an educator, but in an entirely new way. It was incredibly vulnerable. Through this, I knew it was time to take a chance on myself to be able to show up for others.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Glass is a gorgeous gamble of an art medium. While one could assume you have a lot of control with it, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Once work goes into the kiln, we hope for the best and hold our breath. Most of the time, really the majority of the time, everything works out wonderfully. Glass will always keep me and my students humble. Growth opportunities, if you will. Sometimes glass will have a reaction to the heat of the kiln, thermal shock, or leave us totally confused. The same thing can apply for stained glass. We do our best to avoid thermal shocking the glass with the soldering iron. We follow all of the “rules” but sometimes, the glass reminds us that control is an illusion. There have been some absolute masterpieces that have complex firings and test the limits here. Sometimes we have to problem solve to work with unexpected surprises. It is all part of the experience.

Contact Information:

• Website: www.JordanTaubStudios.com
• Instagram: JordanRachelTaub
• Linkedin: Jordan Taub
• TikTok: JordanRachelTaub
• Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/jordanracheltaub