Jill Ensley

(born 1977, Topeka, KS)

Jill Ensley escaped to the concrete fields and shallow pools of Los Angeles soon after her first year of college, returning five years later to the blue oasis of Lawrence, KS to embrace collegiate ARTS and procure a very expensive piece of paper.

Having volunteered in New Orleans post-Katrina in 2007 and 2008, she decided to make a temporary move to the Crescent City in July of 2008 to both volunteer and work on more ARTS.  (This girl is crazy for the ARTS.)  She works primarily in painting and photography, but has been known to dabble in other areas as well, like installation and sculpture.  She’s a mixed media, indecisive gal.  She fancies herself something of a lazy writer as well.

Currently, she is working on a photo essay book of a 2006 photojournalism trip to China entitled, "twenty-six days : the people and places of Made In China”.  She hopes to return to China in 2016 at the ten year mark to photograph and absorb the rapid changes that have taken place.

Other projects include a macro food-based storytelling photo series called "Ingredients" and film work using medium-format lomographic cameras.

It should be noted, sometimes she thinks she’s pretty funny, mostly when the stars align and she’s had little sleep and much caffeine.  Occasionally though, she’s a brooding, sensitive artist forever shaking her self-righteous yet self-effacing fist at the injustices of the world.  Jill is both an enigma and a hypocritical jerk.  But then again, aren’t we all.