Jill Valliere was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. Jill’s early life was often filled with the serious responsibilities of assisting in the care taking of family members. At the age of 10, she started becoming interested in art; some of her first memories are of sitting on her mother’s bed late at night drawing images of animals out of books. Jill’s desire to draw and create became an outlet for her in her young life, providing her with perspective and a freedom of imagination. It is this balance and contrast of perspectives between her family responsibilities and her creative observations and drive which helped form how she sees the natural world and how she chooses her scenes to create her art.
“My work is about capturing those surreal moments in life when you stop to look around at your surroundings and suddenly everything seems more vibrant, more ethereal. Some days it’s the power and energy of the scene and other days it is the all-encompassing calm and quiet that captivates.”
In 1997, Jill began her formal studies by attending the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received her degree in decorative painting. Her formal schooling involved classes in Venetian plastering, figure drawing, and painting; this training helped define Jill’s unique style and technique in her approach to fine art.
Upon graduating from Rhode Island School of Design, Jill immediately began working for herself, opening her own decorative painting business (Valliere Design Studios). For over 11 years she worked alone and alongside other artists creating murals and specialty decorative finishes in homes and commercial spaces as well. It was exactly these many years of experience working with decorative painting materials and style combined with her formal art schooling which brought Jill to the technique and vision she uses in her fine art paintings. After many years of working to refine her process, while working to help support her family, Jill formally entered the world of fine art.
Jill maintains her studio at her home in Rockland, Maine where she lives with her husband (Marcel Valliere, Independent Architectural Designer) surrounded by 30 acres of wooded property with distant ocean views. Both Jill and her husband live with a passion for the outdoors, animals, art and Maine.
Jill Valliere
Artist Statement
By nature, I am a person who loves life’s interactions; my life feels most comfortable to me when it is filled with friends, being outdoors and the emotional fulfillment offered by animals and pets. These things inspire me and my work and allow me to feel the happiness of life and the world around me. Without the depth and richness of these connections, my art would not be possible.
My work as an artist is a passion and expression of that part of me which needs to understand and explore life beyond the surface. I love engaging with people and nature and find the most fulfilling aspects of these relationships occur beneath the outward surface: when I intimately connect with others and world around me.
As an extension of these intimate connections, I attempt to capture those surreal moments in life when you look around at your surroundings, and suddenly everything seems more vibrant, more ethereal. At times it is the power and energy of place, while at other times it is the all-encompassing calm and quiet which captivates. I believe it is exactly these surreal moments when we are able to absorb the unseen subtleties and nuances of a scene which are appealing and speak to us in a way words cannot describe or capture.
I have always been drawn to the vibrancy and texture of art, and this translates to my process of layering, adding and subtracting elements in my works. This additive and subtractive process creates textural surface and tension which ultimately brings forth the nuances of color, depth, and shadow. My use of metal leaf as a medium creates effulgent, transitional passages which serve as the basis for the conceptual origin of my work.
Website
http://www.jillvalliere.com
