the banks of the Maury River near Lexington,
Virginia where he finished and explored the
surrounding farms with his grandfather. When
about seven years old, Gill happened upon a
plein air oil painter and was captivated by her
use of paint to put the nearby mountains down
on canvas. Later as a teenager, Gill began to
draw the mountains and hills on his own, and
also began using his 1903 box camera.
gy, and history but was persuaded to study
business and computers; he eventually
graduated from James Madison University
with two bachelor degrees in the early 80's.
He later reflected that the class that he enjoyed
most had been Photography as an art form.
The quest for strong highlights and shadows
would later carry over into his style of painting.
After leaving the academic world he dove
headlong into corporate life and found himself
to be "a round person in a square cubicle". Gill
increasingly turned to his passion for art as a
vehicle for sanity. At first he embraced
photography. Later, around 1992 he turned to
painting. And then in 1999 he resigned from
a computer position and committed to the
pursuit of the artist's life on a full time basis.
and family (and perhaps a large garden as well)
Gill hs been able to continue painting and realize
his dream.
Thoughts from the Artist:
'The first paintings that I did were of water, as Iloved to study the waterscapes of impressionists such as Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and Pissarro. Some say that I am self-taught
but how could I be with such remarkable teachers? I have also
studied the American impressionists and contemporary
regional painters who are pushing painting just as the historical
artists have. My goal is to capture the essence of a view and paint
the things that made the subject interesting to me in the first place.
shadows, as usually a good painting will
follow. While learning to paint, a major
breakthrough for me was learning to see
what was really there. It seems obvious but
to "see" as a serious artist or art collector is
a major leap forward. If you can see in this
manner you know what I am talking about,
as it is a lot like learning a new language. My
story about seeing is further complicated by
the way I failed every colorblind test when in
college; I must see color differently.
water, wading out into it to get the perspective of
what it looked like when I went fly-fishing. The colors
flickering all across the surface were ready-made brush
strokes. On those early paintings nature told me where
to put the paint. I am still learning and growing as an artist,
I enjoy it completely. It is what I am.'
