Chillin with Denver Contemporary Artist Jillyn Archuleta

I recently had the honor of chillin with Denver Contemporary artist Jillyn Archuleta. I loved her passion for her work and her spirit for life so decided I would share this precious soul with you.

For Jillyn, painting is like a spiritual religion. While some people have yoga she has her paint.  She says that the world feels perfect and aligned to her when she is painting; it’s like solitude and meditation to her. Sometimes when she gets into a project she loses track of time and doesn’t even go to bed.

Denver Contemporary Artist Jillyn Archuleta: Inspiration

Jillyn has two inspirations in her life that had shaped her as an artist. One is her mother, who gave her a box of crayons and a coloring book at a very young age. She taught her how to color within the lines and told her if she got very good at it she would get paid to do it someday.

The other person that inspired her was Tomasz Rut who is the world famous Neo-classical painter. She modeled for him when she was just drawing and not painting yet.

Jillyn loves color because of its infinite possibilities and combinations. She likes to compare paint colors to a piano with 88 keys. You can create an incident number of masterpieces with a combination of keystrokes.

When Jillyn has a creative block she can activate it by simply throwing paint against a canvas with whatever color is speaking to her and just allow it to happen.

Her personality is reflected in her work by many different styles as she adapts to what her clients want but they are typically more carefree and fluid.

Many different things inspire Jillyn. She can look at something simple like a glass of water and come out with a complex painting full of color and life.

Denver Contemporary Artist Jillyn Archuleta: Style, Materials and Commissions

Her work is mostly on acrylic. She does abstract but likes realism and expressionism. She is not pigeonholed into anyone’s style and designs based on her client’s wishes.

She has been recently commissioned by Chailo  Bay Residence in Cabo San Lucas to create a few designs for them. The Steer painting below, titled Novilla (Spanish for Cow) is one of the designs she created for them.

When she’s commissioned for a piece she paints it in her mind first. It is typically a two to three day meditation period before she starts putting anything on paper.

Jillyn teaches private art classes for children and adults at a very reasonable price; which I plan to take advantage off. She has worked with deaf children as a volunteer to help them express themselves through art.