Jill Krasner – Circle Foundation for the Arts

What themes does your work involve?

Whimsy is the underlying theme of most of my work. I tend to view the world around me through a lens tinted with humor, which helps me process even the most stressful events. I like to see my viewers smile as they explore the details of my painting. I hope they enjoy the art as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Describe your creative process.

I like to work in a series, often working on three, four or five canvases at once. There are many ways to tell a story and I want to try expressing them all. Each painting consists of many layers. Often, the first layer is collage. Then, a layer of paint. Next, sanding, scraping back, adding more paint and collage. Eventually, details start to emerge. Although I usually know what I am planning to paint — a floral, a landscape, a tropical — the details, the composition, the story! — doesn’t reveal itself until later in the process.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

Color and texture and the way they interact inspires me. For me, a successful painting combines many different, often conflicting, elements, layer upon layer; revealing when completed, a tale well told.