Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jill Bauman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jill, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

In my bio I write: When I was a very young child, I had been given a “magic stick.” I found that I could make marks on things with this crayon. I used this “magic stick” to write on paper, walls, floors or any surface that I could find, even though my parents didn’t always appreciate where I chose to create my murals. Soon, I began to discover that I could control this tool. In time, the pencil joined the crayons. The smell of crayons still brings back those first moments of discovery. It was then that I knew I was an artist.
As I became an adult and with all the “twists and turns” of life, I have used art as a means of personal expression. It became my passion, an outlet, and a means of communication. It took the insistence of others to begin to show my work. I wasn’t aware that the work that I was creating on my own had a place in the “commercial” world. I had my own vision, but found a way to satisfy the publishing market and still maintain my artistic integrity, enthusiasm, and imagination. For me, this has been a journey of pure delight.

I have been a freelance illustrator from 1979 to the present. Living my dream, I’ve had an amazing adventure that included learning, self-discovery and meeting wonderful, talented people.
Book illustration is where I combine both love for reading and art. The world of illustration and the publishing market has evolved with time. I began in the pre-digital era. For ten years I attended life drawing classes at the Art Students League and have continually studied to improve my art. Adapting to the changes in the market has been a process that I’ve embraced. Still, when it comes to my medium & tools I prefer to paint with brushes on canvas, pencil on paper and feeling clay in my hands.

I lived in Queens, New York, with easy access to New York City, so I scouted out galleries. The most common response I got was, “you paint like an illustrator.” I could only shake my head and say to myself, “what the hell does that mean?”

The artworks I created were expressions of how I saw the world, whatever that was? Although I haunted museums and was fascinated with the works of other artists, I knew I had to be me, not them. When I met Walter Velez, I began to understand why galleries saw me as an illustrator. I became Walter’s agent and he became my mentor. His rule was, “I will teach you technique, but you aren’t to show your work for two years.” At the time, it seemed like an eternity. My choices were to go back to teaching or live my dream. Again, it was Walter’s wisdom that was the tipping point—he said, “I never want to go through life saying ‘I should have.’” That was it! I committed myself to learning all I could from Walter, and life drawing class at the Art Students League in New York City.
Two years later, Walter announced one day, “OK, you can show your art now.” The first time I saw an art director, I got a job. Crazy, huh?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Soon I discovered Science Fiction conventions. My first convention was Lunacon in 1979 in New Jersey. At that convention, I was introduced to Charlie Grant. He introduced me to other writers, Alan Ryan, F. Paul Wilson, and many others. I knew I had found my place. Charlie promised that one day, my art would be on the cover of one of his books. At the time, I thought he was just being kind. Two years later, Charlie called to let me know that he had spoken to the editor of Berkley books about my art. I was given my first cover assignment for Charlie’s novel, “A Quiet Night of Fear. Whatever it was Charlie saw, I am forever grateful to him.

I continued to get assignments from Berkley Books including a collection of short stories by Charlie Grant titled “A Glow of Candles.”
That assignment was followed by “The Attack of the Giant Baby” by Kit Reed and it rolled on from there. I continued to work on my skills and soon found a place in publishing. I became more active in the convention circuit. Charlie Grant called me to let me know about a fabulous small convention on the campus of Roger Williams College in Rhode Island called Necon. The next year, 1982, I attended the convention. That first Necon, some of the guests were, Stephen King, Peter Straub, David Morrell, John Coyne, Whitley Strieber and many more. It was a very casual event. The attendees all got to know one another well. Over the years, many of the writers who attended recommended me to their publishers for their covers. Now, I was considered an artist of “horror art.” It was a time, as Grady Hendrix clearly documented with his fabulous book, “Paperbacks from Hell,” of dolls, creatures, killer plants, clowns, haunted houses, changing the look of cover art. I fit right in.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My muse was ever-present. There were more and more discoveries as I challenged myself. I had learned some technique. Now I had a small body of work, still, I wanted more. I knew I needed more skills and enrolled at the Art Students League on 57th Street in New York City. I attended a Life Drawing class with Gustav Rehberger, a master draftsman.
Mr. Rehberger had been a famous illustrator in the 1950’s. He illustrated for Esquire magazine and other New York publications. He was commissioned by the Hollywood studios to illustrate the movie posters for “Moby Dick” and “The Defiant Ones,”
He was described as a “volcanic expressionist” with paintings of horses and apocalyptic themes.
My favorite drawing medium was sepia conté crayon. We drew on 18”x 24” newsprint pads. Drawing the figure in a life-drawing class to this day is my very favorite experience. My drawings are loose and free.
I worked with Mr. Rehberger for 10 years. He and I developed a wonderful relationship. His favorite line was, “you draw like an illustrator!” I always replied, “I am an illustrator!” It was a standing joke. I attended his classes’ summer, fall, winter, spring, twice a week, five hours a day for 10 years.. I became a life-member of the Art Students League. I am very proud of this accomplishment.
Mr. Rehberger had wonderful sayings. He often said, “Never be stingy with ideas and newsprint paper.” He also said something I found very profound: “For a painting to be successful, it should be seen, not viewed.” I took this all to heart.
Mr. Rehberger passed away in 1995. I felt a pang in my heart when I heard the news, but I am ever so grateful for having known this incredible man.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Fine Art

For over 43 years, I’ve been illustrating books. In 2019, I moved from Queens, New York to Tucson, Arizona. All the years of my pounding the pavement in New York City I never found a gallery interested in showing my art. I tried in the beginning, but the comments I heard were, “very interesting, but you paint like an illustrator.”

For four years, I came to Tucson twice a year to explore the place and visit the galleries. I had a big decision to make. Tucson is culturally rich. I love the Mexican art and the Native art. Art is everywhere; the Biotanical Garden has a gallery, the plant nurserys have galleries, there’s a gallery at the Desert Museum, it’s everywhere. There are schools and classes such as The Pastel Society, Watercolor Society, Colored Pencil Society, and more. I’ve met other artists and they have been wonderful. I found a place where I belong. I love it here. From my front window I can see The Santa Catalina mountains and their majestic beauty. The desert has an incredible haunting beauty. The plants and nature are inspiring. At times I feel as if I’m living on an alien planet. It’s nothing like New York where I’ve lived my whole life.
As soon as I moved here in 2019, several things happened. A gallery accepted my work for a show and four months later Covid struck. I was in lock-down. I found that I was so influenced by the surrounding nature, desert, cactus, weird plants, lizards, hummingbirds, and butterflies as they found their way onto my canvas. Then there are the monsoons, the Day of the Dead events, shows with themes like “All Things Paper.” I will always illustrate books as long as publishers give me assignments, but now I have a kind of freedom to express myself creatively because I’m inspired by my surroundings. Some of the art has become quite surreal and some thought provoking.
I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy much success in the illustration field, but now I find myself exploring my fine art as well. Recently, I’ve also been teaching art at the Art Verve Academy.
This is giving me the opportunity to pass on knowledge. It is truly inspiring to live in a different world; experience its nature and artistically dive in.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jillbauman.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/jill.bauman3

Image Credits
First page featured Jill photo: Beth Gwinn