Jessica Willis:
‘Taking time to immerse myself in nature is where I find inspiration and peace of mind. Whether its a walk in the woods, fishing, and painting on a river, or scuba diving out to sea, each moment overtakes my senses & is imprinted on my soul. I find compositions everywhere and my imagination soars. Colors, light, textures, and intuition guide my work, transforming the painting surface with impulsive brush strokes and layering techniques.
I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Sculpture from Ohio State University in 2013. Learning trades such as welding, woodworking & making molds led to unique sculptures and installations where I emphasized expressing growth and decay and the web connecting everything living. I still focus on the beauty of nature and change while I’ve adapted and developed a unique painting process, surrendering to improvisation with my brush.
Since graduating, I have been exploring four different painting mediums & documenting my adventures. Upon moving to California in 2015, I was introduced to plain air painting which drastically changed my art practice. Acrylics give me the ability to paint expressively and freely while my style continues to develop, but I look forward to more encaustic paintings as well. The tactility of creating my own eco-friendly paint from beeswax and tree resin, and using fire to manipulate the surface is mesmerizing and excites my senses and my sculptural background.’