Jillian Whitney

My “Moments Not Left Behind” series is comprised of intimate gouache paintings on paper and focuses on how institutional systems affect teachers. I consider them a blend between an editorial and a fairytale, based on specific events, but initially softening the horror with fantastical settings. Painting these experiences helps me investigate the violence prevalent in education while allowing me to process my time as a K-12 public school teacher. Visual metaphors obscure the specific events behind each painting.