We recently connected with Jill Condon and have shared our conversation below.

Jill, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

My name is Jill Condon. I am a watercolor and mixed media artist. While I do not have any formal artistic education, I have read every single book about watercolor painting at the public library near me and watched countless hours of YouTube and Skillshare videos trying to absorb every molecule of information I can.

People will often comment things like “You’re so talented!” or “I wish I was an artistic person like you are.” I actually disagree when I get compliments of that nature. I don’t think that creativity or making art is a talent that is born, I believe it is a skill like any other that can be learned with practice and time.

You wouldn’t look at a piano and say, “It’s too bad I wasn’t born a piano player.” No! You would take lessons and practice and learn. In my mind, painting works the same way.

I think it’s so important to try to keep a mindset that not every piece is going to be something you want to hang on your wall. It can take a lot of practice and experimentation to get there and some days it will be easier to keep that mindset than others.

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?

I primarily paint with watercolors, however I have been getting more into experimenting with mixed media recently. I may or may not have a minor addiction to purchasing art supplies. I got into painting after not touching art materials for over 10 years. I always loved painting and creating when I was a teenager, but life really got in the way and I lost that part of myself for many years. About 2 years ago I picked up a brush again as a way to cope with the stress of the pandemic and I felt reborn.

Painting landscapes will always be my greatest love, I think. I am an avid traveler and love to hike. I’m always looking for inspiration in nature. I try to capture the feeling you get when you’re out under the wide open sky and feel so at peace and one with the world, like you just sprouted up out of the grass and rocks around you. I want to bring that feeling to my paintings and into your home. I love getting lost in viewing a painting and try to capture those fleeting moments to keep forever.

I never try to hide the fact that I am new to being an artist. I think it makes my art more approachable knowing that I am still growing along with my art. There is no pretentiousness to what I’m making.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Since I began painting full time about a year ago I have started to notice the world around me differently. At first, it was very subtle. There would be small things I would notice that I certainly would have overlooked previously such as the delicate curve of a flower stem in a vase on a restaurant table or the interesting shadow a tree cast onto the sidewalk as I walked my dog.

Now that I have become even more immersed in my artwork as time has gone on, it’s almost like I live in a different universe! When I look out at the skyline of my city, I think to myself, if I were going to draw that how would I use perspective to capture the depth and layering of the buildings correctly. When I see a flower, I think how would I mix just the right shade of pink for the center of the bloom.

It’s almost as if the wiring my brain has been altered and because of it I feel the world is a richer, more inspiring place to be. And I have my newfound creative life and artistic practice to thank for it.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I’ve actually really struggled to build an audience on social media. Keeping up with the constantly changing algorithms makes it nearly impossible to get eyes on your work if you don’t already have a large following. It has been exhausting. That is why I think sharing via word of mouth or sharing posts of artists is a great way to help support them by spreading the word. The biggest struggle is always trying to reach the right collectors and you never know how someone might stumble across your work and really connect.

I also think that buying art directly from local artists, if possible, is the best way to support them. Instead of buying a mass produced generic print from Target or wherever, buy a piece from an artist. It will make you feel good knowing your are spending your money to support a small business and I can guarantee it will make that artist’s day.   

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jillcondon.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillcondon.art/
• Skillshare Profile: https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/profile/Jill-Condon/361763776?gr_tch_ref=on&gr_trp=on