Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill English.
Hi Jill, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been an artist my entire life. I went to art school and always found ways to create — even when I was working full-time in marketing to pay the bills. For years, I sold paintings out of coffee shops, local shows, and anywhere people connected with real, human work.
When online art sales came along, everything changed. Suddenly my pieces were reaching audiences far beyond Kansas City, and my small side hustle became something real. That momentum never stopped.
Today, through Gallery327, I create and release original works that explore emotion as a kind of language — what I now call Emotional Calculus. It’s the study of how we feel, break, rebuild, and balance again. Every piece is a record of that process, told in color, texture, and truth.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, not at all. There have been years when life left no space for art. The most difficult was the time I spent in the hospital with my son. For nearly two years, I couldn’t paint or sculpt physically, so I built pieces digitally on my computer instead. That quiet planning turned into an outpouring of work once that season ended.
Loss changes how you see everything. Color, time, even silence. It reshapes what feels important. My art shifted from aesthetic exploration to emotional architecture. Each piece now carries both the discipline of design and the fragility of being human.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been real. And real is where the art lives.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work moves between strength and stillness. Some collections are deeply emotional, while others focus purely on beauty, movement, and light. I’m known for large-scale original paintings and sculptures, but also for the contrast within them—bold structure paired with quiet detail.
My coastal series captures the calm rhythm of the ocean. The horse paintings explore grace, instinct, and power. Both celebrate life’s physical poetry, while my more conceptual works examine its emotional architecture. Each body of work reflects a different truth, but they share the same discipline of form and honesty of intent.
What I’m most proud of is range. I don’t fit inside a single style or story. Whether it’s the curve of a wave, the anatomy of a horse, or the complexity of healing, I create what feels real. That commitment to truth, both visual and emotional, is what connects all of it.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think mentorship can take many forms. Sometimes it’s a person, but often it’s a voice, a book, or a body of work that teaches you how to think differently. I’ve learned from artists I’ve never met simply by studying how they approached their own truth.
I’m not a natural networker. I work best in solitude, and the studio is where I find clarity. When I do connect with people, it’s through shared creative energy, not small talk. Genuine connection has a different frequency — it doesn’t need to be loud to be powerful.
If I ever had the chance to choose mentors, I’d pick David Bowie or Freddie Mercury. They both lived with fearless reinvention and total creative honesty. That’s the kind of mentorship that matters to me, the kind that teaches you how to stay true while constantly evolving.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gallery327.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillenglishstudio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-english/
- Other: https://jillenglish.com/show/
