Jill Soukup

 Through my work, I explore the concept of balance and beauty achieved through the mechanical polarities of a painting. Such could be the movement between opposing elements: soft and hard, bright and muted, organic and structural. Even though my work is realistic, I am primarily focused on the abstract nature of composition. I look for the overall breakdown and organization of a given subject and examine the similarities and differences between its components and how they come together in a unified end.

Jill Soukup was born in Buffalo, New York. Shortly thereafter, her family moved to Colorado, where she still resides. Her art education began as a child, and her affinity for horses resulted in countless drawings and studies of them. She graduated from Colorado State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine Art. There, she received awards for illustration and design and worked as an illustrator for the campus daily newspaper and as a graphic designer for the Residence Hall’s programming team. She initially pursued a career in graphic design. After 11 years as a designer, she made the switch to full-time painting. Since then, her work continues to gain recognition as she receives awards, appears in national publications, and shows in important juried and one-woman exhibitions.

Select Exhibitions
Salon International 2006, 2007, 2008
One-woman show, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007
Oil Painters of America West/Southwest Mountain Regional Juried
Art & the Animal, 47th Annual Exhibition, The Wildlife Experience
Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition 2001, 2003, 2007
Colorado Governor’s Invitational, Loveland Museum 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
California Visions, Long Beach Museum of Art 2005
Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Waterhouse Gallery 2003

Select Awards
Top 50, Salon International Museum of Contemporary Masters 2006, 2007
Two Finalist awards in the animal art category, The Artists Magazine 23rd Annual Art Competition ‹ 2006
Third place in the animal art category, The Artists Magazine 20th Annual Art Competition ‹ 2003
Award of Excellence, Oil Painters of America West/Southwest Mountain Regional Juried Exhibition ‹ 2003
Honorable Mention, Northern Colorado Artist Association 11th National Art Exhibition and Sale ‹ 2002

Select Publications
The Artist’s Magazine, Competition Spotlight: Jill Soukup, May 2007
American Art Collector, Jill Soukup: Drawn to Horses, March 2007
The Cultural Times, Jill Soukup: Sharing Her Vision, January 2007
Art-Talk, Summer Art Destinations: One Day There, June/July 2005
Southwest Art magazine, Urban Patterns, August 2004
Southwest Art magazine, Painting Colorado, January 2003
Southwest Art magazine, Artists to Watch, December 2000