Artist spotlight: TD Gillispie

TD Gillispie is a local artist and has had a solo show in our library gallery. It is our opinion that she is one of the best artists in South Florida and one of the most underrepresented.  Please take a moment to explore her work. You can learn more about her at her website www.tdgillispie.com and find her in instagram @TDGILLISPIE

Artist Bio:

TD Gillispie lives and works in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and  museums including Dacia Gallery in New York City, Art Palm Beach, 101

Exhibit in Miami, Boca Raton Museum of Art, and  Whitespace: The Mordes Collection in West Palm Beach. Her work is included in the Mordes And Helander collections. Gillispie's paintings have  been featured in Studio Visit Magazine. She  was born  in Columbus, Ohio and attended Marshall University.

Artist statement:

I have always been a maker, a creator, a fixer of things. The practice of taking something in disrepair, be it furniture or a house for example, and refinishing or restoring it has always been a thrill to me and, in most cases, necessary. So, therefore, this same principle spills over into the way I create art.

I work in several different mediums but keep a cohesive look as a whole.

For each specific artwork, I choose a medium to most effectively speak the story I wish to tell. I collect vintage imagery and broken or well­worn toys from long ago for inspiration in my paintings.

I use specific recycled vintage or antique items for installation and mixed media, such as salvaged windows, doors, tv’s, church pews, lingerie, etc. These items are collected over a long period of time or thoughtfully sought out after writing a site­specific proposal for new work.

In making an installation I usually choose to create a room: a personal defined space for reflective thought with a prompted topic of inspiration.

Typically in painting, my goal is to use subject matter in which I balance sweet and sinister, or cute and creepy, by not stepping over the line in either direction.

If work is built on mistakes and corrections, I feel it gives richness and layers to the piece, thus adding a human quality as compared to the journey of our life on earth.