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"

poem on a cloudy day

oil on paper
12" x 9"

oahu tree

gouache and india ink on paper
15" x 11"

hiraeth

gouache, ink, acrylic on paper
12" x 9"

song of nature

gouache and watercolor on paper
12" x 9"

foolish prick

oil and ink on paper
12" x 9"

secret of secrets

gouache and watercolor on paper
12" x 9"

even in paradise

gouache on paper
15" x 11"

savor this moment

gouache and watercolor on paper
12" x 9"

sanctuary

gouache and india ink on paper
15" x 11"

caretaker

watercolor, pastel pencil, gouache, acrylic, white charcoal and photo on paper
15" x 11"

survivalists #2

gouache, watercolor, ink on paper
12" x 9"

three moons

india ink on paper
15" x 11"

disentangled

oil and acrylic on wood
24" x 18"

illustrating my hallucinations

oil, acrylic and india ink on wood
24" x 18"

alone time

oil, ink and acrylic on canvas
20" x 15.5"

mostly bad ideas

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

pond

oil, acrylic, ink on canvas
70" x 70"

joyful moment in this strange life

oil, acrylic, ink and paper on canvas
70 x 70

alajuela

oil on canvas
30.5" x 54"

my longing and my questions all were painted on my face

charcoal on paper
50" x 38"

confessional

acrylic and india ink on paper mounted on wood
52" x 38"

after the election

acrylic on canvas
48" x 36"

waiting again

oil on canvas
31" x 48"

teodia

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

visitor

india ink on paper
15" x 11"

long as an ancient poet's night

gouache, india ink, laser cut stamp print on paper
12" x 9"

flights of fancy

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