Continuing our brief series on the new and shiny members of the art community, we move from the chaotic to the highly structured, with recent Maryland Institute College of Art, MFA recipient Courtney Jordan.

Smitten with art and mostly self-taught, Jordan’s paintings and ink drawings breathe new life into the architecture we’ve stopped seeing for all its designed beauty. Having grown up in New York, she’s drawn to bridges and industrial creations. Irvine Contemporary was smart to grab a number of her layered Mylar drawings for its current show, Introductions 2, which you should drop what you’re doing and go see before it closes this Saturday. Jordan took some time to answer our questions. You can find out more about the artist and her work on the web.

Did you ever formally study drafting or architecture?

No, but I am often asked that question. I taught myself to use basic drafting techniques and tools, and have closely studied the work of architects like Daniel Libeskind and Lebbeus Woods. Because I see architecture through the eyes of a painter rather than those of a trained architect, it frees me from the burdens of having to make safe, livable structures that could actually function in our day-to-day world. I am drawn to the aesthetics of our constructed world, more so than to the functionality of it. I often deconstruct architectecture into functionless components so I can pick and choose from the parts to create my own structures. These structures have no place in our real world.