"Tiny Burning Crosses" Print

Jill Saxton Smith is a U.S. artist that has been living and working as an artist internationally for the past 15 years. Her experience gained while living in the U.S., Egypt, Zimbabwe and now in Guatemala have given her unique opportunities and insights that have greatly impacted and enriched her artwork and career as a studio artist. She exhibits her work internationally on three continents, including at The National Gallery of Zimbabwe. She has given lectures, taught workshops and demonstrated her art as a visiting artist to a variety of schools and organizations with a special interest in underprivileged and disabled artists. Her current work explores the identity and societal perceptions of women across the globe in both spiritual and cultural contexts. "I focus on the connections between purity and corruption related to the feminine figure. My work examines the stereotypical contextualization of the virtue of women and the perceptions that are frequently held, that are often portrayed in two extreme and contradicting interpretations of the feminine figure: the pure woman (often linked to Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, and Mother Nature) vs. the corrupt woman (such as Eve, and the femme fatal). My aim is to reevaluate societal notions about feminine spirituality and consider a multi-faceted and complex woman with many layers, and contradictions coexisting. In this group of work, I explore various experimental techniques of printmaking and mixed media which frequently involves the use of found objects and unconventional materials. I am intentional with the use of materials and their symbolism that adds a narrative element to my art."