Jody Bill

A full-time studio artist at ESAC, Jody Bill also acquired Artist-in-Residence status for a few months in 2021 when she moved out of her home - and into the live-in studio - when a windstorm damaged her roof.

In Jody’s words: “I lived in Boulder, Colorado for ten years where I received my undergraduate degree in Art & Anthropology.. I studied Ethnoliterature, Ethnomusicology, Australian Aboriginal Art, Ceramics, and Painting, and was a member of the Visiting Artist Program. (In 1974 I had Encephalitis as an undergraduate, with brain damage to left side, causing loss of memory for reading, names of objects..etc. I used pictures and the names of them to relearn. Being an artist using more of the right side of my brain, I was able to adapt to the damage). After finishing my undergraduate degree, and in first year of my MFA, I went to Wesleyan University to complete my Masters degree, where I studied painting and printing. The courses that I also took were the History and Myths of the American Indians and the Culture of India.

I have had a number of one person shows as well as group shows in USA & Europe. . In my work, I relate to the primitive within the present day. I use multiple materials such as gauze & plaster. The work relates to our history, the present & how we incorporate the two to help find a peaceful balance on this planet & protect the less developed countries. I also paint copies of old religious masters & retablos. I used to live in Dallas & have a collection of Santos, Retablos & Pre-Columbian pieces. Tapies, Dubuffet & Eva Hesse are the artists I admire. They all have strong textural styles. I would eventually like to make some larger 3D work using more materials.

About Jody’s work, below. Houses: $500 each. So have lights on some don't. A few are about 4x7 or 8. Others 2 x4. They do have at least 3 sides painted. The pieces are small versions of my paintings that were about COVID. They represent the isolation we're went through. It is now 3 years since it started. It is better but still there in lighter, different forms. Hugging the home in and those in it I feel like the houses even refer, as much, to last December, Marshall fire.

the image of two houses with toilet paper, image #13: This is sharing toilet paper in European homes when it was to hard to buy, like at ksoopers. People would buy more than they should, not considering others

About Jody’s purses: Hand-sewn by Jody. $50/ each.