jo willis - about

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Jo Willis is a trans-disciplinary maker exploring memory, intuition, and transformation. His practice moves across digital and physical mediums, embracing both analog and technological modes of making. Willis earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2023 and has exhibited work in Madison, WI; Milwaukee, WI; Manchester, NH; and Petaluma, CA. Rooted in experimentation and material investigation, his work seeks to uncover new pathways for making — where chance is a tool for discovery, and the act of making is subconscious play.

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I find myself surrendering to images, objects, and processes. This surrender extends beyond chance and randomness, although the work hasn't taken a form; it has always been there. It condensates, ruminates, and drips down into something tangible.

To make digital images, I use downgraded Photoshop and its 3D modeling tool features. This makes models and textures that are glitchy and strange. The limitations imposed in this workspace force me to find different paths to get new results. They stop me from being too specific and allow room for unpredictable outcomes.

My process feels similar across mediums. Like images condensating, I can also feel a sculpture start to gather. It feels like a headache, or static. I find that I make the most compelling work when I impose restrictions. Often, I push try to material to almost-failure in order to find more creative pathways for making.

Making work feels like a guidance of energy. This energy feels alive, rich, and unbridled. Ultimately, my practice serves as a search for this feeling - the conjuration of idea into form.

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