“As a child I watched my father’s textile designs come to life on huge rolls of gridded vellum, square after square of color blooming into a pattern or image. I loved the idea of all those rigid squares gathering into beautifully flowing designs.” —Jill Anderson

JILL ANDERSON
Weaver
Weaver Jill Anderson has a balanced view of the world. She says it starts in her brain.

“I have half an art brain, half a math brain,” Anderson explains, crediting her father, a textile designer, with the creative side, and her mother, a chemistry and math major, with the analytical side.

Her wall hangings reflect the geometry found in nature, and her desire to create balance between art and science. A distinguishing aspect of her mostly commissioned weavings is how well they flow into their surroundings. That is because Anderson visits a client’s home before planning a work to see the room in which it will be displayed, and also to observe the outdoor landscape. “I’m inspired by where they will hang,” explains the Illinois native, who now lives in Scottsdale. “I see a pattern through the window or an architectural design element on the wall and work that into my design.”

Each work of art is first sketched out on graph paper—a compilation of little squares. Once satisfied with her design, Anderson begins weaving, using narrow strips of white artist canvas. When finished, she paints the small woven squares with acrylic. It takes about eight weeks to complete a 4- by 5-foot piece, and each is unique, featuring elements of surprise. That might be “a shocking bit of color, such as a square of bright pink in a field of blue,” the artist relates.

Linda Goldenstein, owner of Goldenstein Gallery in Sedona, is fascinated by Anderson’s art. She notes, “I appreciate artwork that is well done, but I love someone who surprises me, and Jill Anderson does that with her incandescent woven modern mosaics.”

Garry Smith, owner of D&G Designs in Scottsdale, echoes the sentiment. “I’ve worked with hundreds of artists, and Jill Anderson’s woven canvases are some of the most unique. She is truly a one-of-a-kind.” 

Anderson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; both had an emphasis in printmaking. While studying in Chicago, she taught bookbinding, a natural extension of printmaking.

“Out of school I started painting, then weaving my trademark canvases,” she says, adding, “I really enjoy weaving’s three-dimensional aspects.” Always a studio artist, she also has worked in art galleries and has produced gilded picture frames. Her weavings currently hang at Goldenstein Gallery and D&G Designs.