Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Jill Mayberg: Painting Good Cheer

I have a dog. And not just any dog, but a beagle. And not just any beagle, but a surrogate beagle -- a stand-in for the lovable, devoted, irascible, barking, bolting, BITING beagle that we brought into our home as a puppy and returned to the breeder two years later. Oh, we were so full of hope for the wonderful companion that Harley was going to be! And the day I put him in his portable crate and loaded him into the back end of the breeder’s car -- never to be seen again -- was, quite literally, one of the saddest that I can remember. (Ever give up on a dog? It feels really lousy.) Fortunately, a couple of months later, I met artist Jill Mayberg at Art in the Pearl in Portland, and brought home my new “beagle” who greets me daily from my kitchen wall.

Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

Even now, nearly three years later, this painting continues to bring a smile to my face and only the fondest memories of Harley to my mind and heart. Jill’s paintings just have that kind of effect on people. They’re as cheerful and colorful as can be, with interesting layers, variations in surface dimension and quality, and small and intriguing collaged and painted elements within the larger compositions.

Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved


Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg  - all rights reserved

Jill’s a full-time, self-supporting painter who travels to shows around the country annually. And although she lives just across the border, in Washington, I think of her as being a Portland artist because she participates in so many shows here.

Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved

A nature and animal lover, Jill says she finds much inspiration while on her daily walks and that her ideas have "evolved over the years from a confluence of traditions such as primitive folk art, expressionism, and abstract modernism. "

Acrylic on canvas
Image courtesy of Jill Mayberg - all rights reserved
Although I don’t yet own one of Jill’s original works, I have two of her prints and I have frequently displayed a half-dozen of her greeting cards on a shelf because they are so lovely en masse. Visit Jill's Etsy shop,  and her new blog to see more of her work and to find out where she’ll be showing next.

13 comments:

lotta said...

This brightened up my morning. Jill's work is beautiful. I love the happy colors and the textures. Sorry to hear about Harley - I can imagine how hard it must have been. Thanks for sharing. I will check out Jill's shop and blog asap.

Gloria Freshley Art and Design said...

Hi Lotta, Thanks for visiting! Glad you like Jill's work! Have a great day and thanks for your other message.

Heather Kirtland said...

What beautiful pieces! Thank you for sharing her work!!

LAC EMP 2020 said...

Gloria,
I agree with Lotta. These are such 'happy' pictures. I love them and will go and check out Jill's site and blog. I can imagine your painting cheering you every time you look at it. Her work looks as if it would have that effect. Lesley

Gloria Freshley Art and Design said...

Hi Lesley. Good to hear from you. Thanks so much for visiting. Have fun discovering more about Jill.

Helmi said...

I love the yellow dog with the 'dots'

ELFI said...

j'aime cette série de peinture.. sur toile?

Gloria Freshley Art and Design said...

Helmi,

Oui, sur la toile. Elle vend également des impressions et des cartes sur Etsy. Nous vous remercions de votre visite !

Gloria

Gloria Freshley Art and Design said...

Helmi, Elfi: Oh, je suis désolé ! Il a été Elfi qui a posé sur les peintures sur toile!! (Je ne parle pas français, j'espère que vous comprendrez.) Gloria

Jill Mayberg Paintings said...

Thanks so much for the lovely write up Gloria, and thanks to everyone for the comments. I so appreciate them. Jill

Gloria Freshley Art and Design said...

Hi Jill,

Thank YOU for providing images of your work! It was my pleasure to feature your work here! Gloria

Kelli Murray said...

Love Jill's work!

Gloria Freshley Art and Design said...

Thanks very much for visiting, Kelli! Glad you enjoyed seeing Jill's work.