MY story - GENTLE ADVENTURES IN ART & NATURE

I live and travel among the islands in the Salish Sea, an intricate network of coastal waterways that stretches from British Columbia to the Pacific Northwest. Here among the temperate rainforests I take on odd jobs, go on quiet nature-infused adventures, and create artwork that combines illustration, photography, animation and the temporary arrangement of local plants, mushrooms and other found items. 

BEGINNINGS ARE ENDINGS ARE BEGINNINGS

I spent my seminal childhood years on a plum and walnut farm in northern California, while my adult life as a designer and artist took place in the big cities of New York, San Francisco and Portland OR. In 2012 I sold most everything I owned and bought a van, embarking on a year-long self-imposed west coast sabbatical to reconnect with the slower natural pace and living things I knew and adored as a child. That sabbatical year has stretched into a new life chapter – I’ve been living, working, traveling and exploring out here in the islands ever since.

SLOW LIVING, BUILDING, BEING

Eight years of frugal nomadic island living ended in 2020. After a few years of financial and health-related false starts, I was able to establish roots and began self-building my forever home and art studio on a small non-ferry-served island just as the pandemic began.

Savings bought the land a few years’ prior. Selling my boat financed the basic infrastructure. A small inheritance from my parents’ passing bought the basic house framing kit and roof. All other components are or will be found, salvaged or paid for as funds allow. Friends and neighbors have lent a hand and/or equipment, either freely or at friendly rates (THANK YOU!). I expect that this latest art project of mine will take the rest of my life to complete.

ART WORK, COMMUNITY WORK

I am not able to work in my studio creating art year-round. Out of financial necessity, I take on other types of work as well. Sometimes these jobs relate directly to my ongoing bioregional studies, other times I am doing work to help others in my island community. These jobs allow me the breathing room to create the art work I feel most compelled to do, while also constraining the time in which I have to create it.

SUMMER SOCIALIZING

I relish the spring and summer months working with other community members and our seasonal visitors and residents. For several years my primary summer work was naturalist and deckhand aboard M/V Odyssey in Friday Harbor on San Juan island. I also sell my wares at local outdoor markets when possible. Summer is my season for socializing and sharing what I’ve learned about the natural world here in the isalnds and encouraging visitors to explore and learn more about the natural world that surrounds them wherever they live.

WINTER HIBERNATION

I equally relish big blocks of time in the winter to myself. My preference is a living space among wild animals and semi-feral people for neighbors, mentors and muses. These are the months for hibernation, quiet reflection, close observations of discreet moments in nature, art making, sleeping, reading, cooking, stoking wood stove fires, hiking and kayaking in the rain. Sometimes in my PJs.

more to Read

If you need to know even more, here are some things others have written about me and my work in the past decade:

Nature Artist Puts Down Roots in San Juan Islands  – Sprawling Color-Coded Arrangements –  Meet the Artist Who Creates Gorgeous Collages With Foraged Mushrooms – Foraging For Art in the Salish Sea  –  San Juan Island Mushroom Artist Makes Masterpieces Inspired by Mother Nature  –  Magic Mushrooms: Art Foraged From Nature  –  Vibrant Mushroom Arrangements Photographed by Jill Bliss  –  Photographer Captures Colorful Mushrooms in Vibrant Arrangements – Artist and naturalist Jill Bliss talks about her all-natural lifestyle and the challenges of living in the forest

Support for localized, resilient communities & organizations

Your purchase has purpose! When you purchase my artwork or wares, know that you are supporting my ongoing studies and work, my island community, and local indigenous & environmental organizations. I share at least 10% of my earnings each year (more when I can spare it) with local individuals and organizations doing restoration work.

If you don’t have a need for art wares but would still like to support me & my community, you can make a direct donation via Venmo or Paypal. Thank you!

Looking for my social media accounts?

The metaverse (instagram & facebook) has excluded me. My only social media at the moment is A Blissful Life on telegram, or my blog here. Honestly though, my internet connection is limited and my life is very full, so my emailed newsletter is probably the most consistent way to keep up with my doings. Sign up at the bottom of this page for twice a month-ish updates!