Meet the Artist: Jill Hungerford
By Kelli Comer
Local artist Jill Hungerford is a master at boldly combining color and drama, expertly blending design and imagination with technical ability to bring her subject matter vividly to life.
Jill’s paintings run the gamut from exploring a subject or environment, such as the ocean as seen by the fish (colors, bubbles, plant life and more), to abstractions and representational figurative work using the human form.
Inspired by nature, life and personal life experiences, Jill loves using bright, vivid color to ignite her work with emotion, feeling and an innate sensitivity to the beauty of the world around her. She aims for “controlled spontaneity” in her work—striving to allow her feelings and reactions to the subject to evolve and unfold intuitively by telling a story as it progresses, thus resulting in a fresh, vital and original work of art.
Jill’s ability to work with a client on a project to come up with what they imagined, and then some, is one of her greatest strengths. She paints on silk, creating large format artworks and paintings, room screens and more. Working primarily in watercolor, acrylic and fabric dyes, much of Jill’s career has been commissioned paintings or on-site projects and murals.
A working artist for more than 40 years, Jill studied fine art at The Ohio State University, and had studies at Columbus College of Art and Design and Cleveland Institute of Art. She apprenticed under Audrey Don, a master cloisonné enamel artist, and studied silversmithing under Vada Beetler.
Jill’s work with enamel inspired her inherent color and design intellect. She enameled for about 15 years and gave it up to focus on larger paintings, showing her abilities on a much bigger format. Her concentrated education in color and shading is heavily exhibited in her work to this day.
“I don’t believe things are always as they appear to a single observer. Because of this, my work is a fanciful portrayal of my visions, perceptions, and imagination. I know my perspective will be different from the observer’s,” smiles Jill.
“This is one of the beauties of art. It is a facet of life that is subjective in a world of objectives.”
Gallery quality prints are available in many sizes—canvas or giclee prints, and limited-edition prints—for most of the artwork presented on JillWestHungerford.com. Original paintings are available, as well as commissioned paintings, silks and murals. To reach Jill, call or text 216-548-2736 or email jillhungerford@att.net.