HUFFINGTON POST, EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JILL JOY BY MARK MILLER, FEBRUARY 13, 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/exclusive-interview-with-artist-gallery-owner-jill_us_58a13b42e4b080bf74f03e32
Your work deals with spiritual healing and the evolution of consciousness. Why those topics, and how, exactly, does your work reflect or explore them?
I work on these three series concurrently as the inspiration and spiritual or emotional need arises. Metaphorically these three bodies of work represent the evolution of the soul through the three aspects of existence: the body (Emotion), the mind (Consciousness) and spirit (Illumination). As human beings, we work with and evolve these three aspects of ourselves to achieve our full potential as divine beings and to attain peace in the here and now. - Jill Joy
huffington post, light of emotion by shana nys dambrot, january 9, 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jill-joy-light-of-emotion_us_58741809e4b08052400ee591
Excerpt: "Painter Jill Joy is not satisfied with mere representation of the external world, however beautiful; and in her longing to instead more fully express her inner life has recourse to abstract gesture and the soulful power of color. Her lush, saturated, refined, and richly detailed paintings evoke rather than describe the contours and atmospheric jouissance of the natural world. They are not pictorial; they are not pictures. Executed in a kind of meditative semi-trance, they are more like artifacts, residues of the energy that produced them, both art historically/materially and spiritually galvanized process paintings of the highest order; and further, physical conduits of that same luminous energy, radiating into the world."
press release: jill joy consciousness - new paintings January 2017 jill joy gallery
JILL JOY IS BACK, posted on october 29, 2016 by diversions LA http://diversionsla.com/?p=5185
Excerpt: "The power – and often the darkness – of Emotion is in both Joy’s color palette and in the slashing, even angry paint strokes. It’s work that exhumes and compels, that serves as a release and is the fulcrum in a storm of feeling. In short, it’s like touching lightening in a bottle, or perhaps more to the point, like watching visual thunder.
Emotion is one part of a three-part series including Joy’s Consciousness and Illumination. The goal of all of the artist’s work is to expand consciousness itself."
artist jill joy preview, splash magazines by libby lancaster, October 2016
http://www.lasplash.com/publish/cat_index_art_and_books/artist-jill-joy-hosts-grand-re_printer.php
Art is healing…often to the viewers, but also to artists. Many artists use their art as a process to work through daily obstacles. Often an artist may not even be aware of it. Other times they stand in their emotions during hardships and their stories are revealed through their art. Artist Jill Joy is one such artist. She is not afraid to speak her truth, to allow her life’s journey to manifest in her paintings. Her work spotlights her commitment to carry on despite obstacles and to transcend them to achieve greater spiritual freedom and wisdom.
press release: Jill Joy emotion - recent paintings - october 2016 jill joy gallery
Jump for Joy: Jill Joy’s in Town, Posted on January 23, 2016 by Diversions LA http://diversionsla.com/?p=2036
Excerpt: 'Jill Joy creates vast abstract minimalist oil paintings redolent with light and color. Her inaugural exhibition, “Consciousness – New Paintings,” sings of sea, sky, air and space, a surreal and vibrant world which the artist creates while in a meditative state, and which she hopes will serve as a meditative focal point for viewers."
"Enlightenment, karma, yoga, reincarnation – these are all elements in Joy’s work, which swirls with a kind of visual music filled with color and light; an orchestrated series of emotional crescendos."
Jill Joy Opening Day, posted by We Choose Art, January 21,2016 http://wechooseart.com/jill-joy/
Excerpt: "Jill Joy creates vivid, large, abstract oil paintings. Infused with the light of her Southern California home, Joy references both sea and sky in her new series “Consciousness – New Paintings,” which she describes as “an expression of the unseen worlds of spiritual and emotional energy.” While the focal point of each piece is its vibrant, transcendent color, darker areas punctuate the paintings. The visual momentum of dark to light represents moving from unconscious to conscious awareness according to the artist, who views each piece as a meditative experience. These pieces are fierce, evoking images of nature, change, the natural world and the spiritual world, and incorporating elements of surrealism, minimalism, and abstract expressionism. Joy says that she creates her work while in a meditative trance."
Press Release - JILL JOY Consciousness - recent paintings - January 2016 Jill Joy Gallery
“Pro-social Byproduct”, Critical Commentary, Dr. Charles R. Freeman, PHD Psychologist, LinkedIn, 2015
Beautiful paintings and reflections of your soul Jill. Thank you for your inspired contributions adding to the betterment of our homes and community, for our inspired imaginations and creativity, and to each of our own ignited beautiful dreams.
Beauty manifested through art allows our collective consciousnesses to advance positive influences. In short, these pro-social byproducts elicit Joy, your namesake; and as you stated earlier, Love, the universal energy/intention elucidated upon by all religious and spiritual traditions.
Dr. Charles Freeman, Ph. D. Psychologist
"Joy to Consciousness” Fine Magazine, October Arts Issue, 2014
“Art Happy Hour With Jill Joy” Critical Focus Blog, Richard L. Hayes, August, 2014
Excerpt
I looked at her paintings and as I tried to apply the artists own words to them, I found myself connecting with them. Jill expressed the fact that to her these were representations of her own spiritual evolution. Her effort to bring into existence her interpretation of different aspects of her spirituality. Being a philosophical Taoist, I understood the concept. Taoists don’t trust words. They are incomplete and are only a representation of the thing. They are not the thing itself and so cannot show us reality, they can only imperfectly, describe it. It is the difference between knowledge and knowing. Jill’s paintings in this series also are not the thing itself but is a much more honest and direct representation of her spiritual reality.
As we talked further about her paintings, it occurred to me that by putting her art out there she was letting the viewer share a very personal experience. If the viewer, is able to catch her meaning and thus experience the concept contained in the painting, it becomes a shared experience. It allows us to come to know the artist in a more intimate way. It becomes a commonality between us. The shared experience is the basis for any relationship. Even if it is only an acquaintance.
This is a very brave and difficult thing for any artist to do. Opening up ourselves to let others share our art is dangerous to the ego. Artists are notorious for being sensitive to negative criticism. Our art is part of ourselves, and to allow the public to share her spiritual self through her art is doubly dangerous. Because of this, I think that Ms. Joy, is genuinely courageous.
As for the paintings themselves, I find that the duality she speaks of in her artists statements are quite evident in her technique. Placing abstract concrete forms on top of the more amorphous and gentle field of color displays this idea well. Action and passivity are both present in her painting style. The passive smooth universal field is yet active in its bands of changing color even when they are different tones of the same hue. And the concrete forms she uses have areas that are just as passive even when they are surrounded by the more energetic impastos. A kind of yin containing yang and yang containing yin.
Her colors are vibrant and expressive. Her application, is studied and purposeful yet easy and expressive. Even her work in black and white doesn’t seem dull or pedantic but alive and energetic. The concept of emergence of the concrete from the nebulous field of unformed potential attracts me.