2023 Senior Exhibition Artists

Jill DePari

Art + Design: Graphic Design

About Jill DePari

Growing up in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, Jill has always had a love and appreciation for wild and marine life. Visiting the beach often, there was beauty found within the unique patterns of old shells, seaweed, and a curiosity of the crabs that lived there. She also enjoyed drawing the things she found interesting as a child, gathering inspiration from magazines, children's books, and cartoons as her only exposure to art in the suburbs was through those items. Her work today reflects a combination of collecting subjects from her outside world with inspiration from her inner world, utilizing collage, illustration, type, and painting to communicate important messages and to curate visually satisfying aesthetics. Her work often has themes of nostalgia, femininity, humanity, and playfulness. Within her capstone project, she is exploring what brings her joy: nature, hermit crabs, color, and cartoons.

Jill DePari is passionate about owning hermit crabs and is utilizing the capstone project to combine her love for the creatures with her love for art and design. It is titled Hermie Love to celebrate hermit crabs and the care that goes into owning them. Hermit crab abuse is normalized in society as crabs are sold at carnivals, boardwalks, and kept in extremely small tanks at pet stores. Additionally, hermit crabs are often gifted to small children who do not have the knowledge or ability to care for them properly. Hermie Love intends to educate people on how to take care of hermit crabs, as well as to celebrate their beauty and uniqueness. The style of illustration and use of color, shapes, and patterns aim to educate people of all ages in a friendly and playful way. Utilization of natural materials, image, and paint are to make the project feel tactile and connected to nature and marine life.