The New Work of Jill Verbick

Using personal life experiences as brush strokes in her paintings Jill Verbick focuses on enveloping the figure in carefully selected symbols, colors and forms to create an intimate conversation in each work of art. She works in a number of mediums, from pastel to oil to acrylics. Her love is in the figure and portraiture.

In the last few years, an illness has affected her eyesight, the world slowly becoming a blur. “As an artist, this affects me everyday. I demand that my work rise to a higher level just when my body is challenging my ability to live up to that ideal. I always believed that somewhere in me is “the painting”. As the clock ticks and lines fade, I paint with both joy and sadness. As I search for that illusive masterpiece, I cherish each and every precious moment I live as an artist. Never take for granted the artist’s gift of seeing the world as no other can.”

Even though her eye sight continues to fail in these last three paintings Verbick has captured minute details, sometimes using two pairs of glasses to help find her way through the brush strokes and color of each grid of the painting. Had I The Wisdom tells the story of her struggle with her eyesight. She writes, “I have had such a busy life. I put off my passion for painting many times for work, kids or companionship. I always thought there would be time when I was retired. When I stared losing my eyesight I wanted desperately to paint, but again, so many things got in the way. When I finally cleared my calendar it seemed to be too late. The paintings I want to paint are challenging, frustrating and I often fall short of my goal. The detail I long to see and capture is illusive. This painting tells that story. If I had only the wisdom to put my passion first.”

In Sacrifice Verbick uses strong symbolism to tell the story of how the economics of the past year have affected her family. “My family has been hit really hard by the recession. We are nearing ten months of a layoff in my household. I have two nephews looking for work. People aren't buying paintings like they used to. I have run out of ways to save a few bucks. It is hard and money is tight. It's hard to see corporations get help and then cheat their consumers. It doesn't make sense. I can't sacrifice anymore. It seems to be a shallow romantic notion.”


Jill began painting United We Stand during the second George W. Bush term. “His inequality for all men and women infuriated me. My sister and my friends who were gay were made to feel inferior. Their rights as citizens were ignored. The Conservative Right turned back Civil Rights decades. Now when the climate is improved, change is slow or non-existent. There are more people to hate, more Americans to confuse, more issues to cloud. Our country becomes more and more divisive. I hope that time brings the change we all need and hoped for.”

After a short hiatus from painting Verbick hopes to continue telling her stories, but in a much looser painting format, hoping that the time away from painting will help her find the way back to the style that encompassed most of her early work.

Jill has been a self-taught professional artist and illustrator for over 30 years. She is represented by Almont Gallery, The Flying Pig Gallery & Greenspace and and The Studio Gallery and Café in Thiensville. She is a member of League of Milwaukee Artists, Wisconsin Visual Artists and West End Artist Association. Her award winning works have been exhibited in over thirty Wisconsin museums, galleries and festivals. Jill also teaches workshops on art marketing and various painting techniques and processes. She is a full-time artist and arts advocate residing in the Milwaukee area.