Low on the East side / oil on canvas / 24 x 30 inches

After the Storm / oil on canvas / 24 x 30 inches

Home / oil on canvas / 30 x 40 inches

Barbara at the Bathhouse / oil on canvas / 41 x 53 inches

Car Caught in the Deerlights / oil on canvas / 30 x 40 inches

Diver I / oil on canvas / 72 x 48 inches

Traveler / oil on canvas / 47 x 22 inches

Waiting for the 30 Stockton / oil on wood panel / 18 x 13.5 inches

Screaming Fat Man / oil on canvas / 30 x 24 inches

Norma / graphite on paper / 30 x 22 inches

Jell Tull

Painting, for me, is storytelling in a single frame. Most of my works are about ordinary images or moments that moved me. My journey as an artist has been shaped by experiences across various disciplines—including graphic design, illustration, and teaching—that took me from my hometown of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to different cities and countries. Travel exposed me to a wide range of cultures, landscapes, and wildlife, but also heightened my awareness of the similarities we share and the challenges we face as custodians of our planet.

My palette and style have been influenced by a broad range of artists: Bacon, Thiebaud, Van Gogh, Close, Sargent. Themes in my work vary from urban streetscapes to whimsical interpretations of nature and wildlife. While not abstract, my work is also not realism. I may begin a piece with realistic elements in mind, but nothing is predetermined—every painting is an intuitive journey. Once the initial image is on canvas, I allow it to evolve. That evolution is the most enjoyable part of my creative process. I try to approach my subjects with sensitivity and respect, and to let them tell their own stories through expressive brushwork and, at times, unexpected use of color.

I invite the viewer to see familiar subjects in unfamiliar ways—to pause, study the brushstrokes, and wonder how I knew it was right to make that mark. There is great satisfaction in leaving something of yourself that is entirely unique on a canvas.