Q & A with Jill Billions
Artists Incorporated Art Gallery, located in the “Little Red Barn” on Morgan Drive in Vestavia Hills, displays work from more than 50 local artists. On the first Friday of each month, the public is invited to a Featured Artist reception to enjoy refreshments and meet the artists. This month’s featured artist is Jill Billions.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: I’m in love with and an active member of my church, Church of the Highlands. I’m a wife to an exceptional husband, Dr. Bryan Billions, a mother to four great kids and “Momma B” to many more. I am from Michigan originally but have lived in Birmingham since 1988. That was when I moved here with my two children to go to college and medical school.
After marrying again in the fourth year of medical school and having two more children during residency, I practiced internal medicine for about five years. I then switched to addiction medicine and was practicing at UAB until caring for my mother with Alzheimer’s, my oldest daughter with cerebral palsy, and the rest of the kids and life was a little much. I stopped working at UAB almost two years ago.
Q: Describe what type of art you do.
A: I worked as an artist in high school. When my oldest son went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I got the bug again and began painting. My work is primarily abstract landscapes. However, I also like the female form. I work in acrylic and mixed media.
Q: Where does your inspiration come from?
A: As an introvert, painting is my meditative and energizing time. Inspiration comes from nature, music, spirituality and seeing people overcome adversity. I can grab a beautiful moment, feeling or experience and hold on to it, enjoying it for a very long time by painting with it in mind. That’s what I love.
Q: What is the greatest compliment you have ever received about your work?
A: I’m humbled and grateful that people have wanted to take my art home and keep it. The best thing that happened was when I reluctantly sent a painting to Atlanta on “approval” and told the woman that if her husband liked it they could make a donation to St. Anne’s Home, a halfway house for women where I serve on the board and was teaching gardening. We needed money for yard supplies. We never discussed price. I got a check that was $3 more than what we needed to relandscape the entire backyard of St. Anne’s! That was more of a gift from God than a compliment though.
A portion of all sales of my work goes to St. Anne’s Home.