The Art Of Living: Artist Jill Bliss On Her Forest Lifestyle
Jill Bliss is a naturalist who lives and travels in the Salish Sea islands, an intricate network of coastal waterways stretching from British Columbia to the Pacific Northwest. She left her job and city life, selling nearly everything she owned in 2012 to reconnect with the slower natural pace of living among nature. Bliss creates artwork with wild local plants and other natural things she finds in the forests, along with photography, illustration and animation. She donates ten per cent of the proceeds she gets from her artworks to local charities, social justice groups, and organisations involved in environmental restoration.
Where are you from originally, what did you do before and what inspired you to have the lifestyle you do now?
I spent my formative childhood years on a 45-acre orchard farm (plums and walnuts), surrounded by a 1000-acre cattle ranch near the Sacramento River in central Northern California. Many days after my chores were completed, I'd roam and explore the area with my dogs. I'd make forts out of found supplies and draw/paint the world around me. During my teen years, my family relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area suburbs. I'd spend whole days in the forests and at the beach. I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium instead of school often enough that my mom bought a yearly family pass (she was often my accomplice for ditching school in favour of spending time in the natural world).
I read that you worked in New York for some time. Was there any particular incident that led you to leave your city life?
I spent time briefly in NYC in my 20's. It was such an overwhelming place and so different from my childhood in the country. I was compelled to move there and dig in for a while to understand it better. Ultimately, I had to return to the west coast and San Francisco. No matter how much people love city life, it wasn't my home.
How do you sustain your lifestyle in the forest?
Now that I have a small patch of my own island land on a small island, in the good weather months, I do odd jobs for island neighbours such as yard work, gardening, house cleaning and simple repairs. For many years in the summer months, I'd live in my van on the main island, catering to tourists working as a naturalist tour guide on the weekdays and selling my art wares at the open-air markets on the weekends. Winters have been devoted to holing up in makeshift art studios, house-sitting island homes/properties on the smaller islands while the owners vacation in warmer climates. The past three winters, however I've been living in a small shed while building my forever home/studio on my own land I have yet to have much opportunity for painting and drawing.
What are the challenges of living in the woods? Do you ever feel like stopping and going back to normal living?
It is normal living for me. It's getting challenging as I get older to keep up with the physical work involved, especially as I'm building my own place from scratch. Finding and nurturing community while researching and implementing the simple new/old sustainable nature-based ways of living is key. But ultimately, the fact remains that the forests are my home.
When did you start creating art?
I've always had a natural inclination to grasp the world through visual means. I find that drawing or recreating elements of my surroundings is a powerful method for me to gain a deeper understanding. I suppose you could say I'm both a visual learner and thinker. This process of visually interpreting the world helps me to connect with and comprehend complex concepts more effectively. Whether it's sketching out intricate diagrams or recreating scenes I've encountered, this approach has been instrumental in my ability to absorb and process information.
What makes you decide that a particular material you collected would make good art?
When it comes to selecting materials for my artwork, I rely on a combination of factors. Primarily, the initial pieces I stumble upon during a hike or walk set the tone. The colours and textures of these first few discoveries often guide my collection process. Additionally, the availability of materials in the natural environment plays a significant role. This approach allows me to create what I like to call a "nature medley," where the inherent beauty and diversity of the materials themselves become an integral part of the artwork.
Tell us about a day in your life as a naturalist through the different seasons of the year.
My life as a naturalist is intricately connected to the changing seasons. I primarily focus on generating income for the entire year during the spring and summer months. This involves a lot of hands-on work, such as tending to and expanding my half-acre vegetable garden and orchard, which I've been nurturing for the past three years. Alongside that, I also allocate time for working on my home and studio construction project, scheduling my tasks to align with the weather conditions.
As autumn arrives, my days are filled with harvesting the fruits of my labour from the garden and orchard, preserving and storing them for the coming months. It's a season of culmination, where I take stock of the year's progress and make necessary adjustments for the future.
When winter settles in, it marks a period of rest and creative exploration for me. I delve into my artistic pursuits, allowing my inspirations to flow freely. Additionally, this time serves as a preparation period as I lay the groundwork for the upcoming year, considering new projects and developments in my artistic endeavours and my naturalist activities.
What are some of the things you want to achieve in life? Some ultimate goals?
One of my overarching life goals is to establish my very own cabin and art studio in a serene wooded area near the ocean. This vision embodies my desire for a lifestyle deeply rooted in nature, where I can find inspiration in the natural world around me. At its core, this goal is all about embracing a simpler, more harmonious existence while channelling my creativity into my art.
Are you working on any new art projects at the moment?
My primary artistic endeavour is currently focused on my home and studio construction project. It's a substantial undertaking that will occupy much of my creative energy for the foreseeable future, likely spanning the next few years. The build not only serves as an architectural and construction challenge but also provides a canvas for me to infuse my artistic vision into the very place where I'll create my art.
What would your advice be for young people in the cities who want to make a difference and do good for the environment?
I would encourage them to leverage the incredible resources available on the internet as a starting point. It's a treasure trove of information, offering in-depth insights into environments that may differ from their current urban settings. Cultivate curiosity and embrace the concept of lifelong learning. Don't hesitate to connect with individuals who are already living the kind of environmentally-conscious life you aspire to lead. Seek out classes, workshops, and educational opportunities to expand your knowledge. Explore, read, and study extensively.
Begin your journey right where you are, with the resources you have on hand, and persistently advance. It's crucial to remain open to adapting your path when new information or unexpected opportunities arise. Flexibility, resilience, and redundancy are vital qualities. Remember, nature is not just a destination; it's our home and our most profound teacher.
