Jaymee Harvey Willms Artist

Women of Washington County is an exhibition dedicated to three female abstract artists that focus in on the world and the things that shaped them. In this exhibition viewers will take on three different visual perspectives on feminism, abstraction, place, time and domesticity. Each artist will challenge these 5 ideas in different ways. Melissa Dorn Richards zeros in on the banal and reexamines the world of objects we live in. Kate Schaffer tears apart time and space, she then rebuilds it to allow the viewer to consider a new perspective. Jaymee Harvey Willms uses layers of repeated patterns and shapes and story-based imagery to challenge the fairytales of childhood and monotony of adulthood. Together these three women provide a window into the lives of women in Washington County. They document the challenges, celebrations, humors and dark side of womanhood in Wisconsin as well as a broader scope into the lives of American women today. This exhibition was January 2018-April

As I have rediscovered painting, the canvases are piling up, fortunately storage is not quite as difficult with 2D work. Keeping work in exhibitions does help though! Looking ahead, this January, Melissa Dorn Richards, Kate Schaffer and myself will be exhibiting work at the West Bend Library. Below is some of the work I plan on including in the exhibition.

The Navigator's was an exhibition featuring the work of Jenie Gao, Emily Arthur and myself. For the month of October, we took over Var Gallery and Studios. Below are some images of my own work, and the incredible work of these two women and a few paragraphs describing some ideas the show was centered around.   The Navigators – EXHIBITION STATEMENT / PRESS RELEASE What does it mean to be a navigator? First, we must ask, is it possible to lead from within the crowd, or to direct the course of a journey when someone else’s hands are at the wheel? If the answer is yes, then to be a good navigator, we need to understand that at all times, we deal with circumstances greater than our control and make decisions with less information than we would like. Yet we still must choose a direction to go and find ways to communicate what we know to others in order for them to listen and follow. The Navigators features artists, Jenie Gao, Jaymee Harvey Willms, and Em

Moving to Wisconsin was a huge rupture in my making practice. I have had studio space available-but only hit conceptual, physical, and emotional walls when entering these spaces. Spaces that I myself had set up. Over the course of this two year journey I have made some really crappy stuff, and stared for countless hours at said really crappy stuff. Last month, I moved into a studio in the Marshall building in Milwaukee's third ward. It was been the kick in the ass that I needed. Paintings and sculptures have come to life once a again, and I couldn't be more excited. In this dead zone of making much has happened in my personal life, as well as the life I lead at work. Personal and public are deeply affected by politics, womanhood, and the patterning of everyday movements. Patterns and "traditions" change the way humans, specifically women, walk through life. In these paintings I have been studying my own habits, patterns, and traditions, and the way that I understa

In February, I was privileged to receive a residency at Ronald Reagan Elementary, in New Berlin, WI. With Cindy Hollbrook and Mrs. Burg (RR's art teacher) we used found objects, recycled materials as well as plaster, clay, floral foam, and balsa foam to create abstract sculptures with all 700 students. It was exhausting and magical. Below you will find some photos of my favorite pieces and a short video chronicling our final art show!

I have been neglecting my blog for some time now- but please do not think this means I am not working! On the contrary, life has been busy.... super. busy. To ease the transition back into showing you my process, here is some work from a residency I began last year in February at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. This work was a first foray back into painting... Video interview to soon follow!

Here are a few more thesis work images, I am loving the documentation of these little critters.