"The painter makes real to others
his innermost feelings about all that he cares for..."
- Lucien Freud
BIOGRAPHY

I live in a setting of daily inspiration on the West Coast; and am blessed to be surrounded by great land and sea scapes. My paintings reflect the emotional connection I have for my two homes: Canada - where I live with my husband of 37 years; and my birthplace of Oregon, USA, where I visit my family often, and delight in the still-available coastal and country idylls of my childhood.
I have been involved with art from grade-school, having grown up in a family where creativity was expressed with enthusiasm, and daily activities included all sorts of hand-made arts and crafts. I was fortunate to be encouraged by family and friends who saw and nurtured my constant interest in the Arts. Drawing gave way to painting, and by my early teens I was commissioned to paint 'portraits' of neighboring homes and pets. From there my interests grew to include Scenery, and Portraiture of the human kind. Art blossomed into my passion.
A strong education in High School set me on a firm foundation in Art appreciation and excellence of application, and I came to admire the work of two favorite well-known artists- Norman Rockwell and Andrew Wyeth. More recently Portrait Artists John Howard Sanden, and Perrin Sparks- a local BC Pastel Artist; as well as Landscape artists Richard McKinley, and Elizabeth Mowry; and California Landscape Artist Elin Pendleton, have delighted my senses with their handling of color. Always interested in the details, I took a side-trip into the world of Norwegian Rosemaling, and discovered the sensibilities of Folk Art and Decorative Painting. This proved to be very valuable for skills in technique and tool-manipulations; a road I am so blessed to have traveled, as it has enriched my Fine Art work immeasurably. Combined with the study of popular Art Magazines and Books, I find my historical and ongoing 'fellowship' rich indeed!
Majoring in Art Studies
1964-68: Highschool at Lake Oswego, Oregon
1968-69: Oregon State University
1969: Portland (OR) Community College
1992-2007: Decorative Art
Past to present: Exploration through publications, and self learning.
My Artwork is owned by private collectors across the US and Canada, and most recently, in the UK.
The Artwork of ~ JILL PARIS RODY