Resting My Eyes

Biography

Jill Haas grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where her mother and grandmother painted watercolor botanicals that filled the walls of her childhood home. Her grandfather, a botanist by hobby, created new varieties of lilies; her father taught her how to sail, inspiring a love of wind and water. Her admiration for the natural world is expressed in the plant portraits she creates on canvas and panel. An award-winning animator and illustrator, Haas credits her penchant for using sharp edges and flat shapes to her 30-year career working with digital vector images. 

Haas has exhibited with Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY; Visionary Art Collective, New York, NY; Paradigm Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA; and many others. She was featured in Art Delivery by The Jealous Curator, Art Seen Magazine, and ART PXV Magazine in 2024. Her work lives in private collections throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, and California. Haas graduated from the University of Delaware and studied painting privately.

Artist Statement

"I was born into the colorful and brilliant world of botanicals. I grew up watching my mother and grandmother paint flowers, and in that sunny atelier, I inherited their love of leaf and petal. When I create my plant portraits, I feel a connection with my family members through the generations. My ancestors’ wisdom in addition to my own life experience has led me to this body of work. My decision to return to botanicals after years of exploring other muses is about me leaning into who I am, where I’ve been, and where I want to go.

"I collage with swatches of paper that are covered with loosely painted brush strokes. The washy paint in contrast with the sharp edges of my designs references my work as a digital illustrator working with vector shapes. Silhouettes also play an important role in my compositions. They allow me to repeat my subjects, emphasizing their importance. Plants appear at different stages of life in my work as a metaphor for personal growth and maturation, intergenerational influence and tradition. These blooms were nourished by the people in my history. They also help me reckon with the natural process of my own aging. 

"It is my hope that viewers feel connected to and moved by my work because they share my adoration for the natural world that envelops, supports, and nourishes us all. The synthesis of human and plant life is beautiful and peaceful, and I want to galvanize people to protect this relationship. By painting plant portraits I strive to call attention to the integral role nature plays in our lives, amplifying the chorus of voices calling for its protection."