We were lucky to catch up with Jill Lefkowitz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Attending Art School is a risk unto itself. Parents usually tell their kids to have a Plan B when they major in Art. I told my parents that I was going to have two careers; one was to attend New York University as a Studio Art Major and the second career was as a Make-up Artist in Film and Television. This was a risky choice because both careers require a lot of work, talent and ambition. They did not tell me to have a Plan B, because they knew I could accomplish both goals.

I placed an ad on the Student Bulletin Board at Tisch School of the Arts for film students seeking Make-up Artists for their projects. I immediately started to get requests to work on their student films. Working on student films, heightened my artistic instincts, as I now was painting on actor’s faces and bodies. This also included learning special effects. It was challenging to age people, create scars, cuts and bruises as well as applying prosthetics, seamlessly blending them into faces. This elevated my canvas paintings to a new level.

I was hired on films, music videos and commercials when the student directors I worked for went out into the work force. Some of the notable professional projects I worked on was for bands such as “A Tribe Called Quest,” “Naughty By Nature,” and “Spin Doctors.”

After painting for a long time, strictly on canvas, I branched out to painting on three-dimensional objects. I started on barrels because I saw Asger Jorn’s Untitled Barrel exhibited at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art. I was so inspired by it that I started painting on barrels.

This was a risk because I didn’t know how sketching on a wooden, non-flat surface would affect my intuitive process. It was also more difficult to paint than on canvas or paper. Having success with painting on barrels, I expanded to vases, shoes, guitars, lamps, body forms, and anything that wasn’t flat. After seeing my painted barrels on Instagram, an executive at a Fire Extinguisher company contacted me to paint designs on their functioning fire extinguishers. I’ve since painted original designs on liquor bottles and a Champagne Bottle.

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

I was born in Queens, NY, grew up in Brooklyn, and Hollywood, Florida. As a child, I always drew. My Uncle was a brilliant sculptor, who inspired me to draw and paint professionally. My parents had a large collection of art books, so I sketched paintings from the masters such as Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe, and Frida Kahlo. Copying works from artists I admired produced skills that formed my artistic style.

After New York University, besides working as a Make-up Artist, I networked by visiting different art galleries around New York City. I attended gallery and museum openings and met with Curators. When I moved to South Florida, I continued working as a Make-up artist. When I wasn’t working, I was painting and networking as I did in New York. The South Florida atmosphere added a more colorful and vibrant element to my work.

Presently, my style is emblazoned with striking black line work and brilliant colors on canvases, and ordinary objects such as guitars, vases, fire extinguishers, clothes, and furniture, becoming symbols of a timeless and imagined amalgamated culture inspired by artistic styles across the globe. My Uncle’s non-western artistic conventions originating from all over the world set the tone for the art I create.

I sell skirts, leggings, socks, and other clothing on Red Bubble. My work has graced vodka bottles, champagned bottles, wine glasses and fire extinguishers. I fulfill my client’s needs by creating intuitive three-dimensional designs with their chosen color palettes to fit their spaces. I recently designed the surface of a coffee table. This was a new experience for me and thrilled my client with the result.

If my clients need to fill a space in their garden, they might want a barrel. If they want original art at their home bar, they commission, wine glasses and a vodka bottle, or a barrel to use as a table. They might want a unique vase for a credenza; or they might just want a unique series to hang on their walls. My designs are intuitive, but I satisfy the color palette that my clients request.

I am most proud that my brand is recognizable, though, each piece is distinct. My work also evokes emotions from viewers trying to interpret the aesthetics of each painting. I have had artists and clients tell me that they recognize my work in different venues such as galleries and museums.

Last year, I ventured into experimenting with NFT’s, which are Non-Fungible Tokens. I was able to create new artworks from existing ones. I combined two or more pieces into one new artwork. I also took my paintings and merged them with photographic landscapes. When I’ve created original art for NFT’s, I sell them with the original physical painting. I find this to be an incredible marketing tool. I use Instagram to promote my NFTs as well as my other works, and products. By using Instagram, I can reach out to clients, fans, admirers, curators, art dealers, and fellow artists.

My brand combines form with function. My work includes furniture, accessories, clothing, canvas art on your wall, or digital NFT Collections

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As with any creative work, an artist puts themselves in a position to be judged. Not everyone will appreciate your work. There is rejection involved. Applying to shows and exhibitions are similar to a way an actor would audition. It takes courage to create in any field. The result of rejection is to grow and learn, continuing to push creative boundaries, and continue to try new things and techniques. I feel throughout my career, I have pushed myself to take risks in trying new forms of art, be it new colors, techniques, and substrates, and most recently creating NFTs.

I have overcome rejection by immediately taking a canvas or paper and creating a new work. Because my work is intuitive, my emotions are interpreted on the canvas I choose.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I have been creating NFTs for the past 18 months. I enjoy uploading different versions of my physical paintings as well as producing new art for the NFT Market. It gives me the opportunity to also sell my physical paintings with an NFT sale.

Like Instagram or Facebook, NFTs are another unique way to sell your work to a broad audience of collectors. NFTs give you the opportunity to make passive income when your NFT sells. What is unique about NFTs, is that every time your NFT sells, you receive a royalty fee automatically generated by the blockchain.

The conventional Gallery Paradigm is to sell your physical work to a collector. Once the gallery sells your work your revenue stream for that piece ends. Every time your NFT sells, you receive an automatic royalty generated by the blockchain, which is very attractive. You can set your royalty fee, though the norm is 10% for subsequent sales.

By minting your own NFTs, you are the sole creator on the blockchain. It cuts out the middleman. I believe this is the wave of the future where entertainment companies like Disney will mint NFTs of their characters and generate revenues when the NFTs sell.

In today’s culture, new generations seem to acquire less material things, instead they acquire digital assets. The younger generation tend to travel more and do not want to be incumbered by material things.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jillcreatesart.com, https://opensea.io/collection/jill-creates-art
• Instagram: @Jill.d.lefkowitz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jdlefkowitz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jilldlefkowitz/
• Other: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jillcreatesart/shop

Image Credits
Photographs by Fabio Arber