Julissa Layne

A lot of the inspiration for my paintings come from the stories I read as a child. I was always eager to learn about the mythology and religions of ancient civilizations around the world and see the similarities between them.Telling stories that act as life lessons or express the importance of good morals through powerful deities and mortal heroes bound by fate; oral history and art has played such an important part in the growth of human civilization. I wanted tell my own stories with that same impact so I started to create my own supernatural myths through my Illustrations.
My body of work has fantasy and mythological themes. In order to give realistic life to the world my characters’ live in, I draw from on my own surroundings and basing parts of the world they live in on lay own experiences living in Jamaica. To me Jamaica is such a diverse place of different cultures, beliefs and landscapes and I draw inspiration from that diversity. I also adding my own hopes for the future of Jamaica, one full of strong female role models that are respected and a land safe from homophobic and transphobic bigotry.