About the Artist
Jillian Gillespie, a proud native of New Hampshire, knew from a young age that she wanted to be an artist. She just didn’t know what kind…
After high school she attended Cazenovia College in central New York, initially pursuing a degree in Visual Communications. However, a mandatory course that explored several different art mediums (including fused glassmaking), solidified her career path. Jillian graduated in 2012 with a BFA in Studio Art as well as a minor in Art History.
Upon leaving college, Ms. Gillespie returned home and continued to perfect her signature style. With loving support from her family, she then went on to build her own business, naming it Jade Lotus Glass.
Now a member of the Seacoast Artists Association, she enjoys displaying her glass designs at craft fairs throughout New Hampshire.
Jillian’s hobbies include horseback riding, swimming, creative writing, reading, photography and tending to her abundant collection of beloved orchid plants. She also enjoys traveling, especially to the beaches of Rhode Island and Costa Rica, sources for many of her inspirations.
Artist Statement
The artistic objective of my glass design is to recognize the beauty found in the natural world and to create new design forms in glass, which reflect my interpretation of these elements. My creative works explore the dynamics of the natural world and the fluidity and constant motion ever present in the land, water, and sky that surround us. The inherent characteristics and intricacies of glass as an art medium, both support my artistic objectives as well as challenge my design capabilities.
Glass color and textures achieved through fusing different glass types, as well as naturally occurring flaws within the material, provide inexhaustible possibilities to artistically represent landscapes, mountains, rivers, oceans and the heavens in new design forms. It is my hope that each piece will transport the viewer to a tranquil place or perhaps have them recall a special moment; a beautiful sunrise or sunset, a starry night sky, the constantly changing seascape or perhaps a field of wheat rustling in the prairie breeze. The glass medium affords me wide possibilities to depict our natural environment with my glass art.
- Jillian