My process begins before I ever even set foot in my studio space. What ends up on paper is rarely significantly planned and has been tumbling around my headspace for long periods of time before finally making its way through my hand and onto the surface. I create art as a way to bring my inner world to the outside one. My imagination is fueled by the magic of the everyday. An insect sighting, the way light moves through swaying surf, time spent laying in the grass watching the sky change colors. People are always looking for magic outside of themselves and the world. All they need to do is settle into their body, into this moment, and look around. The magic is here, it always has been.
When I am making I am in touch with that quiet voice we all have that knows who we really are behind our fears and doubts, and I do my best to quiet down and listen. I want the viewer to see my art and remember the magic in their own lives, come into contact with their inner child and blow on the spark that gives them joy, that makes them feel alive. Art making helps me do that.
Statement
Biography
Born in the Philadelphia area, currently living in Sicily with her husband, dog, and cat, Gillian’s art is deeply influenced by intuition, and childlike wonder.
Always preferring to be outdoors than inside, Gillian’ work is shaped by the natural world. With experience as a visiting artist at the Natural History Museum of Drexel University in Philadelphia in the entomology department, her sense of color and harmony has been highly developed. The color palettes found in her work have benefitted from her time studying insects and the color harmony found in nature. By paying attention to those, she has found herself more comfortable with experimenting with different color combinations. Always in love with water, living so close to the Mediterranean Sea has given her new avenues of inspiration and wonder to draw on while she makes.
Gillian’s earlier work was highly refined watercolors showcasing the things she loves, or she finds beautiful in nature. Recalling the natural history illustrations of old, they were primarily bare except for the subject matter, allowing the details and beauty of the often-overlooked intricacies of the individual to be the star.
Gillian still prefers watercolor over other mediums for its fluidity, but also the ability for high levels of control, however she has expanded her toolbox to include more dry mediums like pastel, and colored pencil. She has even started to experiment with small sculptures, primarily in paper clay, papier mâché’, and air dry clay, although works on paper are her most typical medium.