Dodgers Blue Heaven: An Interview with Jillian

Monday, April 15, 2013

An Interview with Jillian - Dodger Art on Dodger Trays

As some of you know, I love to feature great artwork focused the Dodgers, and often jump at the opportunity to share their work here. Well, a couple of weeks ago I was turned onto the artistic stylings of a fan named Jillian who has been taking her skills to a new and unique level. BTW, a big hat tip to Cathy for pointing me to her.

Jillian is an ardent and creative Dodger fan who has a passion for drawing. So, over the past three years she has combine her skill with the ubiquitous food tray found throughout the stadium in order to create something beautiful. It is Dodger art on Dodger food trays, and I am smitten. You can check out more of her work on her Facebook page here: Dodger Art by Jillian. Thankfully, Jillian took a few moments to come onto Dodgers Blue Heaven to let us know a little bit about her work. Check out that interview below.

Q: Jillian, thank you for taking some time to answer some questions. I am always interested in Dodgers art and was excited to see your work on such an unusual medium. How did you come up with the idea to draw on the food trays? When did you start doing it? Are the Dodgers your main focus of your art?

A: As a Dodgers Season Ticket holder with my family for over 9 years, I attend as many games as possible and have been a fan for even longer. I have been drawing on food trays at Dodger Stadium for the past 3 seasons, but I have been doodling on napkins, notebooks, and any random scrap of paper I could get my hands on for as long as I could pick up a crayon. One game, between innings I borrowed my brother’s pen and began sketching on the back of my tray, garlic fries residue and all, and it became a “thing.” Often I would use my drawings to entertain squirmy children in my section, but it became a time for me to be inspired by the stadium, the game, and the history of this great ball club. All of the artwork I do in the stadium is a tribute to the Dodgers.

Q: I would love to know more about your art background. Did you ever train or go to school for art? Is this a passion and skill you've always had?

A: I have always been creative and artistic since I was very young, but I did not receive any formal art training until I attended Cal State, Long Beach. I have a BA in Studio Art, Graphic Design and a minor in Marketing and now I work as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator for a small arts non-profit in San Pedro.

Q: Do you plan to do some painting on trays, or other kinds of media?

A: Eventually I plan to expand my collection to some paintings on trays, but I think fans might look at me sideways when I start bringing my easel and paints into the stadium. (kidding) I originally planned to keep the collection as only work done in my “ballpark studio,” a.k.a. Dodger Stadium, but I do plan to do some paintings on the trays and canvases next. I do not want to limit my artwork to one specific medium.

Q: So far, what is your favorite drawing? Who or what do you plan to draw next?

A: I have several favorite drawings that I have done so far. One is a heart-shaped collage of Dodgers baseball and things that make up LA. My other favorites are my sketches of Kemp, Ethier, Jackie, and several other players. Most of my designs I make up as I go, but when I draw real people, there is little room for error since they are so recognizable. I have many more favorites, but I like them all for different reasons. Next, I plan to draw Kershaw because I have been planning to for a while and also the famous Gibson home run!

Q: Who is your favorite player? What are your thoughts about the Dodgers season so far.

A: My favorite player is Andre Ethier and not just because he is good-looking. He is a solid, well-rounded player with a humble mentality. As for Dodger Legends, I am a big fan of Jackie Robinson and his ability to break through barriers all for the love of the game. I think the season so far is off to a good start with a winning Opening Day and a sweep of the Pirates. The pitching has been great and the team seems to be following suit and making great plays. I am also looking forward to seeing Kemp and the rest of the team knocking the ball out of the park for the rest of the season. As a season ticket holder, I am excited to walk around the stadium to see all of the new upgrades and hopefully attend my first World Series at Dodger Stadium.

Thank you, Jillian for sharing your work. If you haven't already done so, I suggest checking out her stuff on Facebook, here. I definitely look forward to seeing more of her work.