I spent time just letting Jillian’s paintings speak to me before I ever read any of her words.

I see the warmth of human beings, animals, and plants, evolving in a rough nature, made of thick layers of elements. I wonder about the mist which is lying over what I can perceive in the background of her paintings, and about the snow. These paintings speak for themselves.

When I read that Jillian lives and works in Newfoundland, I begin to see her paintings in the light of how I imagine that country. I again take closer looks at the layers of her work. There are many details half-hidden in the many layers of color, and it needs more than one look to discover them. The paintings attract your attention, then your attention makes amazing discoveries in the delightful, very beautifully and skillfully presented fine art pieces.

I hope that you will enjoy exploring Jillian’s art as much as I have.

Far Off and Away
Encaustic on cradled panel 
30"x30"
2015

How long have you been an artist?
I have always been quite creative, even as a child, and was lucky to have supportive family members who encouraged experimentation, imagination and mess-making. That support made the decision to study art, an easy one. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Memorial University (Grenfell Campus) in Corner Brook, Newfoundland in 2007. After graduating I moved to St. John's, Newfoundland where my work is represented by The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art. Being a part of the vibrant, local, arts community is a large part of what makes me 'feel' like an artist. 

Teacups
Encaustic on cradled panel
24"x18"
2009 

Sewing Machine
Encaustic on cradled panel 
12"x12"
2009

Volcanoes
Encaustic on cradled panel
20"x20"
2011

Is your art your full-time career?
I wish! Being able to paint for a living would be a dream but I am lucky to also have creative 'day job' which certainly helps to pay the bills. 

Generator Hater
Encaustic on cradled panel 
12"x12"
2013

It Can't Be Helped
Encaustic on cradled panel
8"x8"
2013

Where do you work? How long have you been there?
I began working as a designer for SGO Designer Glass in St. John's, Newfoundland upon graduating in 2007. It's a wonderful atmosphere that allows me to tap into a different aspect of making, working with clients to create custom pieces for homes, businesses, and places of worship. I spend a great deal of time designing at my computer but I also fabricate many of the panels. It’s a detailed process involving, at times, hundreds of pieces and requires great attention to detail. It's a welcomed change from encaustic painting where my process is more intuitive and experimental.

Talisman - Luck is Mere Luck
Encaustic on cradled panel 
12"x24"
2012

Do you have favorite places you like to create?
I work in my home studio. Encaustic painting involves a great deal of set-up and is not an easy type of art practice to move around once it's in place. It requires a hotplate heated to approximately 200 degrees, stacks of wax blocks, heat guns and blow torches, and a good ventilation system. My studio is small and packed to the brim with collected bits of paper, fabric, local foliage, and all sorts of odd looking tools for mark-making in the encaustic wax. It's well lit, cozy, and a pretty lovely space to spend 8-10 hours at a time painting and making.  

Don't Bother the Foxes
Encaustic on cradled panel
20"x16"
2011

Charmed 
Encaustic on cradled panel
8"x6"
2015

Delicate Conversations
Encaustic on cradled panel
8"x6"
2015

What materials do you prefer?
For the past 8 years I have been working mostly in encaustic but I also enjoy textiles/sewing, and majored in sculpture and printmaking in university. I enjoy the technical process of setting up, preparing new panels, and mixing colours, and am drawn to anything that is very hands-on and sculptural in nature. For me, encaustic painting is a perfect blend of media. The heated wax allows for painterly brush strokes and a quick build-up of layers and when it is hardened, I am able to emboss and carve into the wax and embed other materials. By manipulating the wax with tools and heat, I can create endless textures and patterns. Encaustic also works well with other materials and I often combine oil paint/sticks, charcoal, graphite, eggshells, shellac, and collage using found and foraged objects.

Who is to Say We Weren't Right All Along
Encaustic on cradled panel
12"x8"
2012

Nine
Encaustic on cradled panel
10"x10"
2013

Too Blue
Encaustic on cradled panel
6"x6"
2014

Where/How are you inspired?
I was born and raised on Prince Edward Island, moved to Newfoundland to attend university, and have lived on this Island since that time. The similarities and differences of the two islands, their landscapes, and way of life have always inspired my work whether it be the colourful row houses, high cliffs, and rolling waves of Newfoundland or the vast expanses of green fields and red sandy shores of P.E.I. My grandfather was a farmer of many things, including foxes, which is why they appear often in my work and I am also drawn to anything handmade and vintage/antique. I love the stories behind pieces of furniture and keepsakes that have been passed down through generations.   

Façade
Encaustic on cradled panel
36"x48"
2015

Grey Days Make Waves
Encaustic on cradled panel
48"x48"
2015

The Old and the New
Encaustic on cradled panel
12"x6"
2015

If you were not a painter/sculptor/photographer, etc. what would you do?
I love furniture making/refinishing and home design/remodeling and would likely go in that direction. I have been slowly fixing up my 75 year old home for the past year and people have suggested that I blog about it so this may just be the push that I need to do that! 

It's Time to Move On
Encaustic on cradled panel
36"x12"
2012

Forward Always Forward
Encaustic on cradled panel 
12"x12"
2013

How can our readers find and purchase your art?
My artwork is available for purchase at The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art in St. John's, Newfoundland 

Through my website - www.jillianwaite.ca 

In-progress and studio images (along with plenty of photos of my dogs!) on my instagram - www.instagram.com/jillianwaite/ 

My design work can be viewed at www.designerglass.ca 

We Don't Live Here Anymore
Encaustic on cradled panel
48"x48"
2014

Before the Dirt Road
Encaustic on cradled panel
8"x10"
2011

Andrea Hupke de Palacio is the Arts Co-Editor for Wandering Educators. Born in 1957 in Giessen, Germany, Andrea began studying drawing and painting at an early age, encouraged by her family. She studied arts at one of the private Paris art schools, the Ecole Supérieur d’Art Françoise Conte and graduated as a textile Designer in 2005.  
 
For a short period, she discovered the Fashion and Interior Design World, with its précision, style and finesse which helped her to develop her love for the détail. Today she uses these skills to develop her painting. For her sketches and drawings, as well as her paintings she uses different media(s) on various materials, with liberty and intuition. Watercolor, Pencil, Gouache, Ink, Egg-Tempera, Acrylic on Paper, Canvas, or textiles.

Andrea’s paintings can be found in private collections througout Europe and she regularly organizes exhibitions and participate in art markets in Germany and France. She is also the co-founder of Atelier 325, together with Kim Rodeffer Funk, a Washington, DC-based artist.

All photos courtesy and copyright Jillian Waite