Special interview with Jillian Evelyn

Jillian Evelyn is a household name in the LA scene of contemporary art. Her paintings explore the struggle of womanhood today expressed through contorted, yet elegant minimalist figures and a limited but vibrant color palette. Her characters literally bend over backwards portraying the inner anxiety and discomfort that arises from societal expectations.

After graduating from illustration at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Jillian worked as a footwear designer for several years before moving to California to pursue her career as a full time painter.

Today, after collaborating with a wide range of top notch brands and numerous exhibitions at renowned art galleries, she lives in Los Angeles with her pug Olie and is currently working on a series of paintings focused on daily moments, that she will be showing at Subliminal Projects in November of this year.

June 18, 2020 · Conducted by RICE Founder, Daniela Zamora & guest journalist Sandra N. Skriver

“I’m 32 years old. The number 5 has always been my favorite, it was my older brother’s baseball number growing up. I took it as a kid and kept it as mine as well. I believe in change. And my biggest love is painting. Don’t say yes to every opportunity that comes along and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, cause that’s what really makes you grow.”

Do you have a ritual to overcome creative blocks?

Yeah, usually, I’ll go for a walk or a run, listening to music or not even. And when COVID wasn’t a thing, I used to go to art bookstores and just look through things, that usually would spark some kind of inspiration.

What are three things you wouldn’t want to let go off in your daily creative routine?

Coffee, (giggles) I feel like I need coffee to function! Then, some sort of a meditative writing process, I need to work through my thoughts. And then finally, sketching. A lot of my stuff starts with rough sketches and then go from there.

We love that your work is so focused on the female body, but why women and not men?

Just because I have more experience being a woman and I think that my work comes from a place of feeling: of how it feels to be in a female body, less than what a female body looks like. It’s definitely more about the feeling and that’s why the women I paint are usually contorted and in uncomfortable positions.

Being women ourselves, we’ve certainly also had the feeling at one point or another of bending over backwards to progress in life…  and now with the COVID-19 crisis that put most countries in a state of alarm and with that, a limit of freedom and movement for its citizens. Ironically enough, you had just started working on your “Skinny Dipping” series, circling around the topic of freedom. How has the corona crisis affected you and your work process?

Yes, it has definitely had an effect on me. I think that you’ll see some pieces for my upcoming show that are involving wine and drinking. Because in this period, I went through a phase of having a glass of wine or two every night. I was going to not drink this entire time I was working on this show, and I’m back to not drinking—just because my head stays a little bit clearer when I’m doing that. But Corona hit and it kind of felt crazy!

So, there’s a mix of that too in some of my pieces, about being isolated and the feelings related to that. I did one of the pieces where there’s a girl dangling a bit, upside down… That’s kind of how it felt: so unknown for a while. It still does but at the same time, I feel like things are starting to open back up. I definitely think there is more uncertainty coming through on my pieces.

And you moved your studio out of your house right before the confinement too, how was the adjustment on that front?

So, I moved my studio back home for a little bit but then there’s not that many of us in the studio place and the person that runs the building, he made sure to wipe down the space twice a day. And my space is just mine, so the only area I share is the bathroom, but it was all clean and I’d just wear a mask and gloves and all that. So, as soon as I could I started going back, which was nice cause it’s good to have that space, that separation from my home.

It must be good to have that separation to focus…

And the actual space because at home paint was getting everywhere, my dog was knocking stuff over. It’s good to have a separate space to avoid the chaos.

And your upcoming show, where and when is it going to be?

It’s going to be at Subliminal Projects in LA, opening on November 14.

Now that we’ve covered some aspects of your physical space, let’s talk about your digital space. We’ve read previous interviews where you expressed that you “experience the pressure of needing to post consistently on social media”, has that changed in any way over time?

Yes, I definitely feel like I’ve stepped back. Sometimes I feel the need to (post) but I don’t anymore. I’m more focused on making better work. The whole idea is that if you make better work, good things will happen. And it’s definitely more about the quality of the work than the quantity. So, instead of posting as much, I’ve been trying to focus more on that.

Speaking of social media, we see most of the women you paint have their nipples covered, or at least have a cheeky transparent dot on them. Is that a comment to the nipple shaming/censorship displayed by, most famously, Instagram?

No, (giggles) that’s just my way of drawing boobs! It’s a way of simplifying and minimalizing the design. I’m always trying to figure out ways to take things back and figure out how I can use less. So, nothing to do with censorship.

But have you experienced it on Instagram?

No, not directly for my work. Only once, but it was because back on the women’s march I posted something that went like “my rules, my pussy” and that got taken down (giggles). That’s it. No bad experiences.

We don’t want to miss this chance to ask you about your professional trajectory. ‘Jillian Evelyn’ is now a name that many people respect – and recognize. For emerging artists, could you tell us a bit about the stepping stones or turning points of your career. In other words, do you have any advice to share on how to move forward and up in the art world to become a household name?

Wow! Thank you, that’s crazy to hear! I would just say that it took me a while to figure out my style. So, I’d say not to rush into it. I think that if you are being authentic to yourself and not trying to push your style, learn more about yourself and who you are, it’ll come more naturally. And then it’s just about, you know, making sure you really love it and keep doing it. I really think that when you’re doing that, things will fall into place a lot easier than when you try to force it.

On that note, could you share with us 3 things that you wish you knew 3 years ago?

That you don’t need to say yes to every opportunity, because there will be more. I feel like I got to a place of burn out because I took on so much. I was so afraid the opportunities would just go away. So, balance: I wish I had had a better idea of balance. To slow down and not say yes to everything.

And don’t to be afraid to make mistakes, cause that’s kind of what really makes you grow. There are definitely some pieces that were experimental, where I was like ‘yes this is a new direction I want to go in’, but it didn’t really last. For example, at one point I was adding a lot more texture and I thought it was something I’d stick more to but then I didn’t. In any case, I’m glad I branched out and tried it because I learned other things through that.

And then, honestly, I think that if you are an aspiring artist and you’re reaching out to other artists, don’t be offended or scared that you’re not doing something right if they don’t get back to you. I think there’s just this idea that... I don’t think I ever realized how busy you’ll get. I get so busy, I forget about emails, I know you guys had to email me a couple of times! (giggles) I just get so caught up in my world of making that it’s not that I am brushing people off, it’s just honestly, I forget. And I think that’s important for other artists, to reach out again, don’t be scared. And also, to reach out and ask for honest opinions, if you want to grow, you need proper critique and to not be scared to get your feelings hurt because it will help you grow.