A Closer Look at Jill's Process

"The natural world has always been been my greatest inspiration.  It's a constant reminder to remain creative and to be on the lookout for new things to see and interpret through my work."

Watercolor painting has moved to the forefront of my creative process in recent years.  I have a strong background in drawing and still rely heavily on sketching and my understanding of value to flesh out ideas and build my compositions.  I do enjoy working in acrylics and pastels, and experiment with them and incorporate them into my work at different times, but I continue to return to watercolor.  There is a certain energy that exists in the interaction of water, pigment and paper that excites me.  Watercolor isn’t a static medium, so connecting with the moving paint and water feels like a living interaction, which I enjoy very much.
I use representational and abstract stylings in tandem, and depend on visual textures to create energy and interest in the subjects I choose. I also rely heavily on value and color temperature shifts to create dynamic changes in light and it's effect on natural surfaces.  In addition to watercolor, I also utilize gouache, watercolor pencils, india inks, and water soluble ink sticks to add variety to my mark making.  I often select granulating colors to further enhance visual texture to emulate the wildly varied textures of the natural world.

Paintings That Tell a Story


​Life is full of observations, recollections, experiences and gained wisdom that work together to fuel the creative process. I respond to life by creating paintings that have a story to tell, whether it's intimate and thought provoking or simply whimsical and uplifting. Learning how to effectively tell the story through color, value and visual texture is an ongoing process that that compels me daily.
"The creative process teaches me something new every single day."

My Studio

I'm thankful to have studio space in my home!  We're a family here, and between being an artist, wife, teacher and mom to 2 teenagers, it's a wonderful refuge where I can shut things out (for a while) and be creative.  I like calm and quiet.  I love my southern woods.  I was born and raised in Georgia and have always enjoyed a rural lifestyle, including raising our own chickens and growing vegetables.  The reflective quiet of the country has inspired me since I was a child, and it's lessons continue to shape my understanding and affection for the creative process to this day.