Jean Wilson: Chicago’s Artist of the Month for November

In November, curatorial committee member, Susan Pasowicz, chose fellow artist and former curator, Jean Wilson to be honored as Artist of the Month.  They presented the exhibition to other studio artists with Art Director, Vincent Uribe.  Their discussion of art and inspiration is recorded below.

Vincent: Sue, why did you choose Jean for artist of the month?

Susan: She’s a good artist and an excellent worker.  I liked that she paints animals and concentrates hard on her work.  She works on bigger pictures.

Vincent: Sue mentioned that you make art about animals, Jean.  What inspires you to paint?

Jean: Yes.  I make work about animals.  I do a good job.  I made hospitals too.  Spiders and bugs.  I also did the robot dog, because I saw it on TV.  That one is Beauty and the Beast.  There they are, in a castle.

Vincent: What do you think stands out to viewers?

Susan: Jean’s colors bring out texture.  I like the way she does them and all the good things in there.  People are going to see that it is good.  They might think about doing it the same way.  They might want to make animals, but it could be different for the next person.

Vincent: Did you notice any similarities between the pieces, Sue?  Did that change how you installed them?

Susan: She likes animals, so I wanted to put them together.  That one is a nice picture too.

Vincent: Jean, do you have anything to add?

Jean: All the colors, there is a lot of yellow, white and black.  There are three moons.  That was in my dream, so I had it in my memory.  That’s why I paint animals.  I dream about them, all running in the woods.

Vincent: What do you want people to know about you as an artist? 

Jean: I want people to know that I did a good job, focusing.  I draw things first, then paint.  I use colors and do dark outlines.  But I like taking pictures too.  I want to get a big camera.