Meet Jill Hotchkiss | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jill Hotchkiss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jill, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida. So my nature is infused with an appreciation for coastal life. The ocean, tides, sand and salt all feel like a part of my genetic make up. However, I feel very fortunate to have been able to offset that environment with an entirely different experience which has influenced my nurture as well. Growing up, our family had a remote residence nestled deep in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. That’s really where my love and appreciation of nature crystallized.

I had two older brothers who would go off and do their own thing, so often times my dog and I would roam the mountainside on our own. We discovered trickling streams teaming with microcosmic life underneath every overturned river rock and boulder. After the underground investigation concluded, those heavy rocks would get stacked up to create a dam in the stream, otherwise know as a “crystal pool” for my dog and I to swim in. Overgrown rhododendrons became secret forests to forage. The imaginary play and fascination with nature has continued to this day.

My Grandfather’s life was spent working as a horse trainer so lucky enough, we had horses on the land that we could saddle up, untether into the forest and explore our undiscovered terrain. As a family unit, we set off, happening upon the periodic, decomposing cabin from the turn of the century, occasional rattlesnakes, camped under the stars and very rarely we’d be able to gallop at full speed, ungoverned. The wind, speed, strength, animal and forests will always be attributed to nature’s awe and wonder that I try to infuse in my work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Over the past 18 years, I’ve been looking closely at recurring patterns in nature, specifically dendritic (or branchlike) formations. I’ve noticed these branching projections are echoed throughout the natural world. Examples can be seen repeating within architecture of trees, river tributaries, mycelium networks, lightning, oceanic/coral structures, geographic topography, botanical root systems, and vascular/neural anatomy.

This intelligent design comes from growth within living systems, some of which science can explain, but some aspects remain anomalies. I try to infuse my work with that dissection of mysticism, awe and wonder found in nature. Wind, rain, gravity and erosion are utilized as part of my process in an effort to emulate these geological processes.

In this current body of work, Preserved Botanicals, I have been studying Floriography, researching the different characteristics, properties and symbology of plants. The intricately intertwined root systems, usually an invisible yet critical component of plant life, are uncovered, heavily emphasized and represent our interconnectedness. Selected specimens (similar to those in a cabinet of curiosity) are gilded and preserved. Gold, a natural precious metal, was selected as the medium due to its historical significance and ascribed societal value. Emphasis is placed on the medium and scale of the work in an effort to amplify the critical importance of the subject matter- nature’s preservation.

I’ve been probing the scientific angle but happy to be fusing older and unseen parts of my process all together now to hone in on conservation in hopes of relaying the reverence, awe and wonder that inspires the work. There is an underlying unity in the natural world. We can use biomimicry to not only learn from nature’s wisdom, but to preserve our environment, wildlife and the planet in the process.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Downtown Delray Beach – Arts Warehouse – Cornell Museum -Yaxche Tearoom – Peanut Island (snorkeling) – Mounts Botanical Garden – RH Rooftop Restaurant (@Restoration Hardware Palm Beach) – Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge – Bedners Farm – Butterfly World – Swank Farms – Beach – Wynwood – Homestead Farms – Joe’s Stone Crab – The Keys

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes, wow so many people. Aside from my family and of course dear friends, there are two professional mentors (or educators) I can attribute my gratitude and support. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from University of Florida in Gainesville. Brad Smith is a talented artist and is the sculpture technician at UF. He is an advisor to all of the Fine Art students (and design majors) because if anyone needs to fabricate anything, Brad’s sculpture shop is where it happens. He was the wizard who had the skills and ability to make ideas come to life. Despite protocol or practicality, he always delicately cradled and helped materialize my juvenile ideas with such patience. Through his compassion and generous teachings, I learned a lot about construction, materials, sculpture and fabrication of which I utilize to this day. I will always be grateful for his consideration and mentorship. Another fantastic mentor was Robert Zakarian. He was my thesis advisor (and main professor) at Pratt Institute where I received my MFA. Again, for him, nothing was too daunting. He always knew how to “make it work”, would show up on the weekends upon an s.o.s. call and encouraged the “impossible”. Both of which I will forever hold immense gratitude.

Website: www.jillhotchkiss.com

Instagram: @jillhotchkissart

Facebook: jillhotchkissart

Image Credits
– Diego Texera Photography