Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Holladay
Hi Jillian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In 2018 I retired from my job as an engineer doing new product development for a medical device company . Our plans for retirement were to sail around the East Coast of the United States for a while. We were then going to settle in Saint Petersburg where I would use my captain’s license to operate tour boats. However, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was unable to use my captain’s license due to health concerns. We had taken a drawing and painting class at the Lifelong Learning Center in Newport News, Virginia. I found I enjoyed drawing and seemed to have a facility for it, so I started drawing more and more.
One day we went to an art show, and I showed my work to some artists there. I asked them if they thought it was good enough to do what they were doing. They encouraged me to pursue it. Because of my Parkinson’s disease, it was difficult to hold the pen steady and draw lines. But I found that I could do stippling, which is putting tiny dots onto the paper and using them to create shapes and shading. So that is the style I developed, doing the initial shapes and shading with ink and then adding color with watercolors. I base many of my drawings on photographs I have taken.
About two years ago, I joined the Pinellas Park Arts Society and later joined other arts groups including the Gulf Coast Artists’ Alliance, the Suntan Art Center, and the Morean Arts Center.
In September of this year, I was selected by a jury of artists to have gallery space at St Pete ArtWorks (part of the Gulf Coast Artists’ Alliance). Each of the thirty-two artists represented there take turns minding the gallery for a few hours each month. I find I quite enjoy speaking with the people who come into the gallery.
Earlier, in the summer, I applied for a micro grant from Creative Pinellas. My purpose was to use the grant money to buy a longer Telephoto lens for my camera so I could take better, more detailed pictures. I found out in early November that I was awarded the grant. I am in the process of creating new works based on the new photographs. In February of 2025, I will be the featured artist at St Pete ArtWorks and will show the new paintings in the front window of the gallery.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
About 8 years ago, I started having trouble walking. I would drag my right foot, and it took a great deal of concentration and energy to lift my foot to take a step. In 2019 I developed a tremor in my right hand that got worse as time went on. In 2020 I was finally seen by a neurologist who diagnosed me with Parkinson’s Disease. Despite the medications I was prescribed, the symptoms were only kept under control for a few hours a day. The tremor and stiffness progressed and finally I could not walk without a cane. It was exhausting to force my legs to move while my right forearm was shaking with the tremors. Even eating became difficult and I avoided dining in public as I would spill every other bite.
I changed neurologists and my new doctor adjusted my medications and continued to tweak them based on a diary I kept. Walking was still difficult, but I was able to get rid of the cane. My doctor offered me the option of something called Deep Brain Stimulation surgery. At first, I was very hesitant to have the surgery. The idea of having a hole drilled in my head and wire put in my brain was not something I really wanted to do. In 2023 I relented and had the surgery at the end of October. In late November, the device was finally switched on and adjusted. The relief from the Parkinson’s symptoms was immediate! I Still must take some medications but the dosages have been cut in half and one was eliminated completely. I still do have some tremor from time to time but no one would know I have Parkinson’s. I am not cured of Parkinson’s, and it is a progressive disease but for now I live a nearly normal life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in drawing and painting shore birds and sea creatures. That’s why my tag line is “Coastal art by Jillian”. I am known for using stippling with black ink to outline and shape the creatures. I then add color to the piece with watercolor. Sometimes I will use colored pencils or a touch of acrylic paint, but mostly watercolor. I pride myself in the detail of each while still maintaining a simplicity to the whole piece. I think my best-known piece is a blue crab I made last year. It and some other of my pieces have been recognized by judges at local art shows.
My work is available as original framed art, embellished prints, fine art prints, note cards, and jewelry. The embellished prints are black prints of the original art. I then hand color them in the same manner as the original. There are noticeable differences in the embellished prints and sometimes I have fun with the colors such as using metallic paint.
I am also the coordinator of the art exhibition at the Barbara S. Ponce Public Library in Pinellas Park. This year I was also the chair of the Pinellas Park Art Society’s scholarship committee.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I am never satisfied with my work. I always strive to be better each time I pick up a pen or a brush. Being surrounded by creative and supportive people is also vitally important. I take drawing and painting classes from other artists as part of my effort to continuously improve.
Pricing:
- Origina framed art starts at $200
- Embellished Prints are $75 to $100
- Fine art prints $25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coastalartbyjillian.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillianh2023/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillian.holladay
- Other: https://creativepinellas.org/artist/jillian-holladay/
