Karen Jordan

Karen Jordan is a fine art photographer based in Washington, D.C., whose lens-based work explores the fluid space between abstraction and realism. Her images— described as “constructed abstracts”—are created entirely in-camera, and printed full frame, without cropping. What may at first appear to be a painting or digital montage is, in fact, a faithful photographic rendering of the natural world as she encounters it. Through reflections, textures, color, and form, Jordan transforms ordinary moments into ambiguous, often poetic compositions that challenge our perception of what is real.

With formal training in photography and digital imaging from the Corcoran College of Art + Design and graduate studies in the arts at Columbia University, Jordan developed a practice rooted in traditional photographic values: full-frame shooting, precise composition, and a commitment to visual truth. Early in her career, she printed her own work in black and white and color, mastering the craft of the darkroom before adapting her vision to digital technologies—without compromising her belief in the integrity of the image.

At the core of Jordan’s work is a philosophical inquiry into how we see. Influenced by a lifelong reverence for honesty and observation, she explores how visual cues—fragmented, abstracted, or recontextualized—construct our understanding of reality. Her photographs are meditations on perception, capturing fleeting interactions of light and environment that evoke texture, mood, and movement.

Her work has been widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions across the United States and is included in numerous private and corporate collections. She is a multi-time award recipient at the International Color Awards and has received honors from the Muse Photography Awards and the International Photography Awards, among others.

Jordan’s images pay quiet tribute to the self-generating artistry of the environment itself—offering viewers an invitation to slow down, look closer, and reconsider how beauty is found and framed in the world around us.