We recently connected with Jillian Zepeda and have shared our conversation below.

Jillian, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Each one of my collections are extremely meaningful to me. Each collection starts as a theme and each individual painting is a story within that theme. And the themes and stories come from personal experience, and I know that I am not the only one who has had these similar experiences. And through that, I use that as a connection point between the painting, the collectors and myself.

Right now I am working on a collection called Mismanaged Coalition. It is probably my most personal collection I have ever done. And it isn’t easy to paint for me emotionally, but it needs to be painted. It is about the abusive relationship I was in. I’ve been out of this relationship for almost 6 years and it still troubles me. I knew when I first got out of the relationship that I needed to paint a collection about it, at the time I just didn’t know what that looked like. And I still needed to process what happened.

So based on my own experience, and now the stories I hear about from other woman. I decided it was time to tell this story. I journal and write poetry, so I have used that as a stepping stone to what the paintings will represent. But also with music, I created a playlist on Spotify called Mismanaged Coalition, and anyone can come and listen along to the music I am listening to while I paint. When I listen to the music I really focus on the lyrics. I see it as the poetry that I didn’t write, but I really connect with the words and the metaphors.

The Mismanaged Coalition is a new style for me. I am getting sculptural with these paintings and there are lots of layers. There is also embroidery and stitching happening and vellum paper. All of these things combined are elements that I am using to really try and convey the message of what happened to me, or how I felt. But I am also trying to find the balance of portraying it in this raw and beautiful way, where when you look at the paintings you really feel something before even knowing what it is about.

My goal is to be done with this collection sometime this year, and I don’t know where I will show it. Like I said, this collection isn’t just for me, it is for every woman who has ever been in an abusive relationship. And I think it is an important issue to talk about.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jillian Zepeda and I am a contemporary abstract artist. My journey to becoming an artist has been a long and patient one. As you hear from most artists, I was also a creative kid with a really wild imagination. I was always in the art room during high school and started college for interior design and took a lot of studio art classes. After a professor told me I wasn’t a good artist I believed them and pivoted to film and creative writing. And received my Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media.

I stopped painting and drawing for about 5 years and then in 2015 came back to it. And I decided that I really needed it in my life, it was a piece of me that was missing and I knew I couldn’t live without it. I was on a journey as most young artists to discover and find my style and my voice. And I tried so many different mediums and but the one thing that stayed constant was wanting to paint and draw the human form. It was something that has stuck with me since high school and it wasn’t until the last few years that I finally figured out why.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, that ideas and things were planted within me and the ideas just need to brew inside me for awhile. Because of my background in art, but also in creative writing and screenwriting I now have this interesting perspective for my art.

Each one of my paintings and collections focuses on the human body and the human form. It’s because I have this story telling background. I realize that is how we connect as humans, through story whether in books, movies, tv shows and music. We connect to the stories through written word. With my work I try and do the same thing but on canvas. Each one of my collections is based on a general theme, Each painting is a story within that theme. And even though they are my stories and experiences, or stories I have created, they are all stories and experiences that other people have had.

I call my style “Abstract through Realism” because I do use reference photos of the human body. As I start to paint they become abstracted on the canvas. Sometimes you can still see the forms and bodies, and other times you can’t. I use the body language of the reference photo, color, texture and form to try and convey the message of that story.

By having this storytelling background sets me apart from other artists because I do approach my work in a unique way. My work takes a lot of planning and pre-work because I need to understand the story that I am trying to tell. And once I know that then painting becomes this wild journey. And it helps me to create really honest art in a unique way. It has taken my 8 years to come to figure this all out. And like I said becoming an artist has been a really patient journey, and I am still growing and pushing myself.

Since each collection is a theme and each painting is a story within that theme, it has helped me to create really personal bonds with my collectors. We have connected over those ideas and concepts. And even some of the commissions that I have done because I now to get to create really personal pieces for them. I have used their story or used the clients themselves as the reference photo and each piece truly becomes unique and special for them.

At the end of the day all any artist wants is to connect with people through their work. And to know that our paintings mean something to the collector or has inspired them to feel something in a unique way. That is all I try and do is to tell my story that when people look at it go “I’ve experienced that,” or “I want to experience that.” That’s when you know you’ve created honest art.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think one of the most rewarding things about being an artist is being a chameleon. As artists we have this ability to fit in with most crowds of people. I think it is because we are sensitive and we can feel peoples energies and we can match it. And it allows us to learn and grow and to see new perspectives. It’s like being an actor in a sense, learning to understand a character. And then we can use that to create art.

Also, as a creative we allow ourselves to be extremely open-minded and vulnerable. Which sometimes can be a blessing and a curse. What I mean by that is that artists and creatives we allow ourselves to feel very deeply in order to understand something and we are also extremely sensitive. And there is this balance that we then have to find in order to be able to express those feelings and that vulnerability.

I also think being an artist is extremely brave thing to do. Because you are putting yourself and your ideas out into the world. No one asked us to do this, but we are brave enough to share our voices, feelings and opinions in a unique way. And let me tell you it isn’t always easy being that vulnerable and allowing people to take a peak inside your thoughts.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Where do I even begin, this is such a loaded question. First and foremost what non-creatives need to understand is that being an artist is being a small business owner. We don’t just paint and create. We have to be marketers, social media managers, photographers, website developers, accountants and the list goes on and on.

Plus we also have to do the creative thinking and putting concepts and ideas onto canvas, which is no easy feat and also very draining mentally and physically. What people don’t understand is that we don’t just throw paint onto the canvas and go “yep, that’s done.” It takes years of learning and honing our skill and craft, our voice and style. When we paint we are making 1000 little decisions in the process. And there are a lot of paintings and sketches that people don’t see.

It’s always really frustrating when I hear someone say “Oh, I could do that.” It’s like great, I would love to hand you all the things that I used to create that piece and would love to see you try and replicate it. At that point the person would then realize it isn’t that easy, it isn’t that simple. Some of the stuff I have created, I don’t even know how I did it and wouldn’t even be able to replicate it.

I think what people also need to understand is that most artists, and I am really saying this for myself, but I’m sure most artists would agree with me. Is that we need to create in order to survive. There is something deep inside me that has this innate feeling and urge to create. If I don’t create, If I stop painting like I did for 5 years, I become extremely depressed and I feel like part of me is lost. If I start feeling down and feel lost I go “oh, it’s because I haven’t created in awhile.” And I have to go and put myself in the studio and just get whatever is out of me.

This is a hard concept to try and tell people, because I can’t explain why this happens or why I feel this way. I just do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jillianzepeda.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillianzepedaart/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JillianZepedaArt/featured
• Other: The Artist Stoop Podcast

  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10EXWdwvMkqAab68ZzNq57

  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-artist-stoop/id1723935898