Jill Lewis
visual artist
all images copyright ©Jill Lewis
artist statement
Painting, for me, is a means of understanding and communicating with the world around me when words do not suffice, which is much of the time!
For influence, I draw upon many forms of ancient and primitive art. I’m particularly drawn to Oceanic art and Egyptian art.
I choose these influences because such artworks were created as a means of communication, rather than for the “art world”. In these cases the images may have taken the form of picture stories, cautionary tales within mythology, or even as ways of appealing to, or bargaining with, the gods.
In an age now where technology is so much at odds with the natural world, I try to convey a feeling of spiritual connection to the natural world. For this reason I mostly avoid representing man-made elements other than the occasional bowl, hut or boat.
In the picture plane, I flatten figures, animals, birds and plants, and change them to an un-natural scale in order to unify them. I decorate them as a way of honouring them and giving them importance in my imagined world. I “invent” new hybrid species of animals, birds and plant-forms. They simply evolve on the canvas.
Within this changed spatial relativity, along with the textured, patterned surfaces, I explore the subtle and peculiar relationships between people, animals, birds, plants and the land, via anthropomorphism.
Just for fun, I will often employ humour in the way I portray animal and human characters. There is so much to worry about in our crazy world.. and I think that artists musicians and dancers etc can help lighten the load.
solo exhibitions
2025 'New Work' Anthea Polson Art (upcoming)
2022 "Everything is Connected' Anthea Polson Art
2020 "Sociable Species" Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast
2019 "Silent Conversations" Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast
2015 Recent Paintings Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2013 Recent work Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2012 Recent Work, Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2011 Recent Work, Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2010 Recent Paintings, Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2009 Libby Edwards Galleries Brisbane
2008 Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2007 Libby Edwards Galleries Sydney
2006 Libby Edwards Galleries Brisbane
2005 Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2004 Greetings from La La Land, Libby Edwards Galleries Brisbane
2003 Libby Edwards Galleries Sydney
2002 Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2001 Libby Edwards Gallleries Sydney
2000 Libby Edwards Gallleries South Yarra
1998 "A Response to the Far North" McWhirter's Art Space Brisbane
group exhibitions
2021 (finalist) Arthur Guy Memorial Art prize, Bendigo Regional Art Gallery.
2020 Anthea Polson Art
2020 Harvey Galleries Sydney
2019 Anthea Polson Art
2018 Anthea Polson Art Gold Coast Queensland
2012 Femme Fatales, Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2011 Contempo, Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2000 Summer Show Libby Edwards Galleries Portsea
1999 Summer Show Libby Edwards Galleries Portsea, Victoria
1998 Sunshine Coast Art Prize
1997 The 'Tate' Gallery Contemporary Art Space Noosa. Qld
1996 'SAVE' Gilchrist Galleries, Brisbane
1996 Group - Gilchrist Galleries, Brisbane
1994 'PRISM' - 10 QLD Artists. NOOSA Regional Art Gallery
1993 Fairhill Gallery Yandina Qld
1992 Australian Artisans' Studio, Cairns
1992 'Man, Land, Images' Palm Court Gallery, Cairns
1991 "Keep the Rivers Flowing' The Environment Centre, Cairns
1991 '8 Local Artists' Palm Court Gallery, Cairns
1991 Palm Court Gallery, Cairns "Invisible Art"
*(documented by National Gallery, Canberra) 1991 Palm Court Gallery, Cairns
1991 The Alice Prize (finalist) Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs.
1984 ROAR Studios, Melbourne - three person show
1983 RMIT Post graduate exhibition RMIT Gallery, Melbourne
travelling exhibition (participant)
2000 'Celebrating the Exquisite Corpse' Bendigo Art Gallery travelling exhibition
collections / acquisitions
University of the Sunshine Coast, Permanent Collection
Wrotham Park Station P & O Resort, Cairns, Queensland
Marriot Hotel - Brisbane
Mornington Regional Art Gallery
Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery. Vic (from Exquisite Corpse Exhibition)
St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne
McDougall-Ireland Pty Ltd. Brisbane.
Royal South Yarra Tennis Club, Toorak, Vic.
Private collections in Japan, Taiwan, USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Majorca and Australia.
*Gallery link
https://antheapolsonart.com.au/artists/jill-lewis/
ABOUT
Born in Sydney, educated in Melbourne.
Moved to Queensland in 1987. Taught art in tropical Far North Queensland and the Sunshine Coast before returning to Melbourne in 1999.
Art Education
RMIT University BA Fine Art 1980 - 83
RMIT University Graduate Diploma Painting 1984
Melbourne College of Advanced Education, Graduate
Diploma of Education 1985
Art Teaching
University of the Sunshine Coast 1997 and 1998
Sessional Lecturer Bachelor of Arts, Visual Art. Designed, introduced and taught the first visual art course within the Bachelor of Art
Cairns TAFE Sessional teacher Cert 4 Painting
Cooloola TAFE Sessional teacher Cert 4 Painting
