Regent Square Artist Gathers Inspiration in Morocco

Jill Lena Ford pitched a tent in the Sahara Desert for eight days where a man she met allowed her to use a camel to collect sand, stone and inspiration for her art, a medium she calls organic mixed media.

"I love to travel and I love exploring other cultures and just seeing all of these different beautiful and natural places," Ford said. "I chose Morocco because it is very diverse, and it gives me a chance to collect some different materials along the way."

Ford, 32, of  the Pittsburgh portion of Regent Square, returned after an almost two-month trip to the African nation during the week of Thanksgiving. The sole purpose of the trip was to gather inspiration and to create artwork along the way for a Moroccan-themed art show in January.

In her cozy apartment decorated in personal art, one piece incorporates peacock feathers mixed with deep hues of purple paint. Shells outline the curves of another painting in the room, marking an adventure once taken by the young artist.

"I get materials from nature and I mix them up with my paints to create very textured and energetic kinds of paintings," Ford said.

Ford, who has been traveling independently since she was in high school, said she has been to Asia about four times. While traveling in Indonesia, Ford had a burst of inspiration on a small island, but also had a lack of materials to complete art and little accessibility to what she needed. When she came home, she started planning an art-specific adventure to Morocco, raising more than $7,000 for the trip by selling paintings beforehand.

Jessica Bellas, 39, of the South Side invested in Ford's work before the trip and bought a painting.

"She really immerses herself in the culture and connects with the people on an intimate level and that is reflected in her work," Bellas said. "It reflects in her art."

Ford said deciding to go to Morocco came from her own instincts.

"Morocco chose me," Ford said. "It just seemed so alive and the first thing I thought of were the colors, with the reds of the Sahara and the blues and greens of the Mediterranean and the diversity of it, from the landscapes to cultures, the people and even the languages."

She visited about 15 different cities and villages while there. Using materials from nature allows Ford to share a part of the journey with people at home.

"I use the natural materials because I am very inspired by nature and I feel like taking these pieces of nature and putting them in my art allows me to share them with others and it lives on in that artwork," she said.

Ford completed 17 paintings during her trip and plans on finishing 10 more for an art show in January. She is finding a location for the show and plans to incorporate photographs and journal entries into the exhibit.

"I want people to experience the beauty of the Moroccan culture – the open heart, generosity and the unconditional love they have for one another and the connection to the beautiful nature," Ford said. "There is no separation between all of that."

For more information visit www.JillLenaFordArt.com.