Conversations with Jill Soukup

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Soukup. 

Hi Jill, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I decided at a very young age that I wanted to be an artist. I explored other ideas — veterinarian, horseback riding guide, ranch owner — but art was the friend I always turned to. From age 6 until 14, I observed, drew, and painted horses obsessively. My early art education consisted of books, persistent practice, guidance from a handful of excellent school teachers, and an encouraging family. 

Though I was certain of my artistic intentions, I attended Colorado State University to explore and diversify my education, while enjoying their renowned fine art and design program. I was well aware of the challenges facing fine artists — that I would likely need some non-creative work to pay the bills — so graphic design seemed like the ideal occupation, offering both financial stability and a full-time creative outlet. 

After graduation, I accepted what would be my longest and most fulfilling employment as a web and graphic designer for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s exhibits department. It was a richly creative environment, full of opportunities ranging from illustration and book layout to mural painting and exhibition identity campaigns. Collaborating with remarkable people from diverse artistic disciplines — designers, photographers, lighting technicians, muralists, illustrators, exhibit designers — as well as scientists, educators, and marketing specialists, offered the perfect marriage of business and real-world skills development. But, all the while, I kept sight of my first love. I joined classes at the Art Students League of Denver, to practice figure drawing, painting, and sculpting; and took my sketchbook to the neighboring zoo during my lunch breaks. 

When I turned 30, the magnitude of life’s passage hit: despite the perfect job, painting professionally full-time was my ultimate goal and it was time. I gradually cut back my hours at the museum and increased my studio commitment. I began showing in a local gallery, exposing my work to broader audiences via the marketing skills I’d learned as a designer, submitting art show entries, and sending portfolio packets to art magazines (back then, it was all snail mail and 35 mm slides). When I was invited to join a second gallery on the East Coast, I knew I couldn’t do my job at the museum, supply art for two galleries, and maintain my sanity. So, with the blessing of my husband, I took that leap of faith and have never looked back. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes, mostly. Early in my painting career, my biggest regret was that I was so focused on production, quantity, and marketing that I missed the opportunity to perfect my craft, which is the foundation upon which everything else is built. There was a solid five-year stretch when I was really isolated, in my studio and within my head, thinking I had no time for classes and creative enrichment while dizzying myself with the same behavioral patterns, both productive and not. I’d underestimated the power of being around other artists, of continuing to learn and grow. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I primarily paint horses in oil. I was on track to focus on architectural themes as my career was budding, but a trip to Ranchlands’ Chico Basin Ranch in 2003, and subsequent visits thereafter, reinvigorated horses and ranch life (back) into my work thematically, until they replaced buildings and city scenes almost altogether. While that first ranch visit rekindled my interest in horses from an aesthetic perspective, the intervening years have deepened that relationship, as well as those with ranch life and the land, animals, and people that define it. Even when I think I can’t dig deeper, I learn something new or see something that builds upon some previously undetectable quality or sensibility. In this, the learning continues to both pull me forth into novel spaces and, fittingly, circle me right back to my childhood manifestations. 

The Western theme also serves as a stage upon which I explore concepts outside of the literal, employing a visual vocabulary to juxtapose complementary pairs and opposing elements, which then inform each other to produce an intriguing balance and haunting beauty. These studies in contrast thread in and out of my work, in a pendulous dance between chaos and order that is as much about art as it is life. Balance through opposition can create exploratory planes of perception that open the heart and head to deeply meaningful experiences. This interplay between literally anything and its counterpart invites exploration of independence and communion, of dissension and harmony, in ways that challenge concepts of autonomy. And reality. 

What are your plans for the future?
I have several exciting projects in the works. I’m launching a solo exhibition at Gallery 1261 in Denver, April 23 through May 14, 2022. I will also be offering more within the digital realm; adding an online shop for boutique items, such as Intaglio and limited-edition prints; and exploring NFTs. I currently offer a regular online class in partnership with the Korean company Class101, which has reinforced my love for teaching. I hope to offer more free instructional videos — I have one on YouTube — and a more robust mentorship program or downloadable lessons in the near future. 

I am also in the process of writing a few exhibition proposals, stepping outside of the commercial scene to see what happens in the non-profit and idea-based sectors. While my gallery relationships will always be my bread and butter — and an important place to view the physical work — the opportunity to collaborate and share ideas with other artists and the public at large is an attractive odyssey best fulfilled through the art center model. 

Pricing:

• Prints: $100 – $650
• Drawings: $250 – $1,000
• Orginal oil paintings: $400 – $32,000

Contact Info:

• Email: jill@jillsoukup.com
• Website: www.jillsoukup.com
• Instagram: @jillsoukup
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillsoukupartist
• Youtube: Jill Soukup Studios (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp_3KcG7JTjnpnbnfG99FMA)

Image Credits
Jill Soukup, art images; Elk & HAMMER, bio photo