Statement
The rhythm of the New Mexico landscape where I live is measured out across its wide-open spaces. On the road, there are miles and miles of fence posts and fencing, a rhythmic tic marking space stretching out to the horizon. Like the ocean, the landscape of the Southwest opens out, with great expanses of distance and sky. These measures inspire my work.
Applying brushstrokes one after the other, I fill the surface of my paintings with subtly shifting colors. Patterns emerge, suggesting the flickering color and movement of water and sky and the warp and weft of fabrics and textiles.
Biography
Jill Christian is a visual artist working in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Salem, Massachusetts. She holds an MFA from The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University and an MBA from the University of New Mexico.
Christian grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. She received her BFA in painting in 1992 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and shortly afterward moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Having spent time on the water growing up, she finds parallels between the ocean and the great expanses of distance and sky in New Mexico. Drawing inspiration from rhythms and patterns in the landscape, her current work is about the expressive potential of repeated handmade marks, which, like meditation or rhythmic music, provide a conduit to the transcendent.
Contact
For more information, or to schedule a studio visit, email Jill Christian at jill(at)jillchristian.com.