Jill Slaymaker
Artist Statement
I’m intrigued by complex worlds that exist within each other. My oil, gouache, metal leaf and India ink paintings, and book art pieces, depict otherworldly environments, often inhabited by a lone figure lost in a chaotic world.
Nature-based patterns and shapes float in vast skies and landscapes, or are deeply immersed in foliage, partly hidden and viewed in close-up, in a kind of macro/micro cosmos. By combining disparate “puzzle piece” images from sketchbooks, travel photos and found sources, I try to confirm the idea from Western physics and Eastern philosophy that all phenomena are interconnected and interdependent.
I find Fritjof Capra’s writings on chaos theory especially fascinating. He explains that due to advanced computer technology, movement in nature previously thought to be random or “chaotic,” such as clouds and fire, are actually measurable, with almost identical mathematical patterns.
The idea of order in nature is comforting, in our overwhelming digital age. And yet, it’s pretty clear that the natural world is an infinitely unsolvable mystery, not to be fully comprehended by even the most brilliant scientific minds.
My orange tree series was triggered by a trip to Rome in 2006, where I became ill, and then quickly healed while painting under a 900-year-old bitter orange tree still bearing fruit. I include it in most of my work, as a symbol of rejuvenation and hope.
More recently, in 2018-2019, I was able to travel to the South Pacific, where my husband and I gave talks on art and music. The incredible natural beauty there, combined with a tragic history of genocide of indigenous people and disappearing animal habitats, affected me. My next project is an immersive installation that includes paintings, puppets, light, shadows and sound, in a “magical realist” tropical forest.
web

gouache, watercolor, ink on paper
12" x 9"
$450
poem on a cloudy day

oil on paper
12" x 9"
$450
oahu tree

gouache and india ink on paper
15" x 11"
$550
hiraeth

gouache, ink, acrylic on paper
12" x 9"
$450
song of nature

gouache and watercolor on paper
12" x 9"
$450
foolish prick

oil and ink on paper
12" x 9"
$450
secret of secrets

gouache and watercolor on paper
12" x 9"
$450
even in paradise

gouache on paper
15" x 11"
$550
savor this moment

gouache and watercolor on paper
12" x 9"
$450
sanctuary

gouache and india ink on paper
15" x 11"
$550
caretaker

watercolor, pastel pencil, gouache, acrylic, white charcoal and photo on paper
15" x 11"
$550
survivalists #2

gouache, watercolor, ink on paper
12" x 9"
$450
three moons

india ink on paper
15" x 11"
$450
disentangled

oil and acrylic on wood
24" x 18"
$1400
illustrating my hallucinations

oil, acrylic and india ink on wood
24" x 18"
$1400
alone time

oil, ink and acrylic on canvas
20" x 15.5"
$1200
mostly bad ideas

ink on paper (index cards) mounted on wood
42" x 36"
$1800
pond

oil, acrylic, ink on canvas
70" x 70"
$5000
joyful moment in this strange life

oil, acrylic, ink and paper on canvas
70 x 70
$5000
alajuela

oil on canvas
30.5" x 54"
$3800
my longing and my questions all were painted on my face

charcoal on paper
50" x 38"
$2000
confessional

acrylic and india ink on paper mounted on wood
52" x 38"
$2500
after the election

acrylic on canvas
48" x 36"
$1600
waiting again

oil on canvas
31" x 48"
$3000
teodia

gouache, acrylic, ink and silver leaf on paper
34" x 26"
$1200
visitor

india ink on paper
15" x 11"
$450
long as an ancient poet's night

gouache, india ink, laser cut stamp print on paper
12" x 9"
$500
flights of fancy

gouache, acrylic, india ink, pastel on paper
28" x 22"
$1200