Artist/Gallery Website
Michael "Mick" Jilg, a native of Great Bend, KS, entered Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, in 1965, finding inspiration and encouragement among the fine arts faculty there. After receiving his MFA from Wichita State University in 1972, Jilg discovered a passion for drawing the human figure, prompting a shift away from the pure abstraction of his graduate-student work. Jilg served as a professor of painting at FHSU between 1981 and 2011, receiving the Kansas Governor’s Artist Award in 1991. Since retiring, Jilg has organized and participated in exhibitions in Kansas cities, including Hays, Manhattan, McPherson, Garden City, and Lindsborg. The majority of his art resides in the collection of the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.
It has been said that Jilg approaches the creative process in a manner he calls “stream-of-consciousness,” often embarking on projects with only a vague concept and allowing imagination, intuition, and a keen understanding of basic design principles to take over. Speaking on the occasion of a 40-year career retrospective, Jilg said, “It’s amazing what people see in my paintings that I had no idea about.”
