Jill Musser

Painting in the Alla prima style usually finishing in one session, Lyons artist Jill Musser’s large, vibrant oil paintings of fruits, vegetables, and flowers begin with a thick layer of white paint. She then applies pure colors with minimal brush strokes to create a glowing effect.

The thickness of the paint produces highly textured works; indeed sometimes the creative process feels as if the artist is sculpting and carving on the canvas as well as painting. She does very little mixing in order to produce the pure dazzling colors she captures in her larger-than-life artwork.

In a manner exactly opposite to how students are taught to use oils (starting thinly with the darkest dark), Musser paints thickly into her white base, using lots of pure colors, and broad brush strokes. The freer she becomes with her technique, the more her audience seems to respond, drawn to the expansiveness and excitement of the work as well as to the bright, pure colors.

So taken is Musser with the earth’s botanical beauties that she includes little else in her compositions, avoiding complicated foregrounds or backgrounds. “The subject matter is art enough,” says Musser. “I want the produce itself to make the strongest impact possible, to seduce the viewer as I have been seduced by how gorgeous these objects are.”

Jill Musser’s paintings have been widely collected in the United States and Canada for more than a decade. A particular favorite of Colorado and Texas collectors, her paintings have been awarded various recognitions — including Best Traditional Artist and Best of Show — in juried and invitational shows. Her work has also been acquired for various corporate collections such as McGraw-Hill in Columbus, Ohio