Intrigued by the vastness of nature, and complex worlds that exist within each other.  Jill Slaymaker's paintings, drawings, text collages and accordion books depict macro/micro environments often inhabited by a lone figure who is a bit lost.  The orange tree series, begun in 2006, was triggered by a trip to Rome, where she became ill and then quickly healed while painting beneath a 900-year-old orange tree.  An aspect of the tree is included in almost every one of her works as a symbol of rejuvenation and hope. 

 

Jill's next project is an installation of a ‘magical’ tropical forest with images of extinct/endangered animals, multicolored figures, and spirit ancestors, using puppets, paintings, moving shadows, prisms of light and sound.  It is informed by her travels to the South Pacific, where spectacular beauty is juxtaposed with a sad history of genocide. The idea of transcendence from a dark realm has always been a part of her work.