“Art is a way that we human beings practice a kind of magic. Whether creating a play, a piece of music, a dance, a painting or using another of the myriad of artistic genres, an artist creates something from nothing. We pull from the mystery, from the unknowable depth of our souls an expression that connects with other human beings, sometimes in a way that cannot be expressed but is only felt in the moment.

“My art has its own life. My job is to get out of the way as much as possible and let it speak for itself.”

Jill Freeman has been an artist, a singer-songwriter, librettist and poet for many years.  She most recently received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to produce her one-act opera, “The New Frontier” based on the Cold War with her collaborator composer Jack Van Zandt, written for and performed by soprano Stacey Fraser.

Throughout her young adulthood while pursuing her career as a singer/ songwriter, Jill continued her lifelong passion to paint and draw.  In 2003 she returned to college to study art, finding she resonated most with painting, studying with Jim Morphesis, Craig Antrim, and Alan Harrison.  After college, she continued working under the mentorship of Craig Antrim for ten years at his summer open studio program.  Jill has also studied with several other teachers, including Anne Saitzyk, Susan Melrath and Nicholas Wilton.

The Pandemic of 2020 brought about radical shifts in everyone’s lives.  After two difficult bouts with depression, partially caused by the decline of her singing voice, Jill refocused her energies, and in 2021 began to paint daily with new-found vision and passion.