Jill Ansell

(American)
The work is at once dream and reality. Fish, birds, deer, wolves, antelope, and winged mice are interwoven into narratives that stir the imagination. One is transported into the night sea of death and resurrected in the realm of the sacred.

Having painted since age fourteen, I have always been fascinated by the language of symbols and the internal landscape. My journey has taken me to areas of exploration ranging from intense suffering to ecstatic joy, experiences that occur over a life well lived. This work reflects these journeys.

My most recent body of work is an exploration of Tibetan sacred lands and the reclamation of this land as a metaphor for reclaiming sacred spaces within ourselves. These works should be viewed as a metaphor of inner space as well as a place in conventional reality. Animals, dancers, nomads, and clear open space, as well as the colorful motifs that exhibit the joy of this culture are present in this work.

Another intention of this series is to share the depth of the view of the sacred that I have personally gained from my study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. This view has become available to Westerners only recently through the profoundly tragic diaspora of the Tibetan people. Many of the elder Lamas, such as my teacher, Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen, have gladly passed on the depth of this tradition to cultures that hunger for inner peace and ritual that connects one with deep meaning. The Tibetan lands and people, in my view, are the quintessential example of a culture at risk of losing the “old ways” that are so deeply precious to a world ravaged by war, imperialism, and environmental devastation.

If, through these paintings, I can make a small contribution to honoring this culture through conveying its richness in both the inner and outer realms, then my work will be well done.

Past Exhibitions Visit Gallery