About

 

 Contact: jilleastland@gmail.com

 

My work is strongly research based, usually beginning with a social, political or environmental issue of concern.  I rarely confine myself to one art form and often move from one media to another, being primarily led by the subject matter.  I enjoy making evident the artifices of different media and the links between them, for example painting from photographs of a film shown on television and including the screen’s frame and the lines of interference produced on the camera. I particularly favour painting and drawing, but also produce text based work, photography, sculpture and textiles.  I often employ multiples, to create a more detailed discussion of a theme and I tend to produce open-ended bodies of work, as well as finished pieces.  My work is often very detailed and can contain elements of realism and abstraction together.

I enjoy collecting things and these collections are often incorporated in my work. Often the things I collect are used as painting surfaces, for instance I have collected hundreds of coloured plastic bottle tops and have recently begun to paint miniatures of endangered species on them. There is usually an installation aspect to my work, so that things are displayed in ways which are sensitive to the social and physical environment in which they are placed.    I have a strong sense of place and frequently exhibit work in less conventional spaces that are more accessible to a wider audience.  I have worked in venues, such as warehouses, pubs and museums, as well as art galleries.  I am very keen on working collaboratively and being active in my local community and often work on projects with groups of artist who might not otherwise have opportunities to access resources or exhibit and sell work.   I enjoy sharing ideas and leading or assisting with workshops, discussions etc.

One example of my previous work consisted of photograms of wild flowers that I collected in December 2009 and 2010.  I found that almost every day, I could find a new species of wild flower, that shouldn’t have been present.  Most would normally have had a short period of fluorescence, for two or three months in the summer.  I began to think that I would like to enlarge on this work, both physically and in terms of the research.  I found out that there have been winners and losers amongst our wild flowers, because of our changing climate.  I made large paintings of the flowers, preserving the stark black and white contrast of the photograms.  The work began to feel uncanny, speaking about the peculiarity of finding the wrong thing in the wrong place and time.  I exhibited this work as part of a group exhibition in Bristol, but I’m sure I will return to it and continue this investigation.