Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Condon.
Hi Jill, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story as an artist technically begins when I was a kid, but didn’t really take off until about a year ago. As far back as I can remember I have always loved painting and creating art. I took all the art classes my high school offered and was fortunate to have a really supportive, engaging art teacher. However, as I’m sure so many people have experienced before, once I went to college art fell to the wayside as it was not something I felt that I could responsibly pursue as a career. I have a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Minnesota.
But getting back to where I am now, as much as I don’t want to credit anything positive to the Covid pandemic, it is really what I have to thank for bringing art back into my life. I was working in global technical support for a large medical diagnostics company and was beginning to experience a level of burnout that was extremely unhealthy. I am so incredibly fortunate to have a husband that was supportive of me taking some time off from work to recoup and figure out what I wanted to do with my life that I actually enjoy. I picked up watercolor painting and haven’t looked back.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to where I am was not easygoing. As I mentioned, I came back to art as a way to cope with the stress and burnout of the pandemic but also felt rather aimless for some time. Also, as someone who suffers from anxiety, I still have a large amount of doubt that I am taking the right path and will ever truly be successful. I try to take it one day at a time and try not to compare where I am to where others are because we are all in different stages of our journey.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I primarily create works in watercolor and ink. My heart will always belong to landscapes but I have recently been exploring Nordic folk art and am attempting to put my own spin on the craft of rosemaling. My Scandinavian heritage and growing up in the Midwest have always had a strong influence on me as a person and I want to create a modern spin on those traditions. I also try to take inspiration from the places I have traveled, which is another passion of mine.
How do you define success?
For me, success as an artist is really about creating things that I find inspiring or beautiful. As much as I would like to be humble enough to say it doesn’t matter if others like it or not, it also means creating things that bring beauty and inspiration to the consumers of my art. I have had several friends buy a few pieces from me and I am beyond grateful for their support. However, I think I will know I’ve truly made it when I can sell paintings to strangers that don’t know me personally yet my art speaks to them enough to want to display my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: jillcondon.art
- Instagram: instagram.com/jillcondon.art/
