Work samples

  • Kingdom
    Kingdom

    Kingdom, Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 36” x 48”, 2024.

    This painting is about observing the world from a slight distance. The lush green around him contrasts with the cooler tones and the bare trees on his face, showing that divide between the outer world and his inner space. There is peace in creating your own kingdom—a space where you’re still grounded in the space around you, but in control of your own energy.

    Available for Purchase
  • I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…
    I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…

    I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…, Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 40” x 30”, 2023.

    I explore identity through portraits overlaid with imagery that reveals deeper narratives that go beyond the surface. I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now… is a bit meta in that it is a self-portrait about the process of self-discovery. It depicts self-reflection as an ongoing journey, with my hands poised so that my fingertips are always reaching and interpreting what I find.

     

    The clouds are another method for me to shape meaning from random shapes and try to force connections even when I know so little.

     

    The vibrant colors are those of the Colombian flag. Though raised in the US, my Latiné identity has shaped my life experience whether I have liked it or not. #Throwback to walking down W. Baltimore Street after the 2016 election and having a man I did not know shout at me, “You better get your green card together darling because Trump is going to deport all of you.”

     

    The title is a lyric borrowed from the Joni Mitchell song, "Both Sides Now." As Joni sings, “I really don’t know life at all.” My paintings are part of an endless journey to uncover the depths of our own identities.

    Available for Purchase
  • Lillian is Tired.
    Lillian is Tired.

    Lillian is Tired. Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 24” x 30”, 2024.

    Lillian is Tired is a self-portrait capturing the exhaustion felt by many in today's world, particularly those navigating the intersecting identities of being a working-class individual and a woman of color in the U.S. in 2024. The painting shows me in a pink floral robe and gold hoop earrings, my head turned to the side, with a multi-color shadow cast behind me. The shadow contrasts the plain beige wall, showing the enduring presence of creativity in exhaustion and day-to-day monotony.

    Available for Purchase
  • Miss Baltimore
    Miss Baltimore

    Miss Baltimore, Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 36” x 24”, 2024. 

    Available for Purchase

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About Lillian

Baltimore County  

Lillian Jacobson (b. 1994, Bogotá, Colombia) is a Baltimore-based Latiné artist exploring identity, place, and belonging through figurative painting. Adopted into a white American family, Lillian has always been attuned to how she is seen by others, which informs her empathetic approach to portraiture. Her paintings feature layered imagery, often incorporating elements of nature and the landscapes of Baltimore, to reflect the multifaceted experiences of… more

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Veils

Veils is a series of figurative paintings that delve into identity, memory, and place through patterns, colors, and layered images. As a Latiné artist born in Bogotá, Colombia, and adopted into a white American family in Baltimore, Maryland, I have always been very aware of how I am seen by others. I look nothing like my family and grew up with constant comments, questions, and stares. The feeling of being judged before I am known even by those closest to me is always in the front of my mind. As a result, I am an empathetic person who tries to make sense of myself and the stories I see around me. My paintings are a result of the process of exploring the complex and multifaceted image I have of myself through portraits of myself and others framed within imagery from my photography.

Baltimore is my home and greatest inspiration. The sense of being othered is something I see reflected in this city – being misunderstood or judged harshly by outsiders who have a limited perspective. Much of the images that add to my artwork as a layer or background are taken in the Greater Baltimore Area. There are the obvious city landscapes, but also the more intimate and unexpected flowers, trees, and patterns I notice in this city. 

The subjects of my paintings are surrounded or intertwined by carefully selected patterns, projections, and backgrounds to show the layers of identity we all carry. My artwork challenges viewers to look beyond the surface. My artwork is both deeply personal and universal. As someone who has always been looked at differently, I paint to make people pause and reconsider their first impressions, to look beyond the representation to see all of the emotional and intellectual layers to each of us.

  • I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…
    I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…

    I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…, Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 40” x 30”, 2023.

    I explore identity through portraits overlaid with imagery that reveals deeper narratives that go beyond the surface. I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now… is a bit meta in that it is a self-portrait about the process of self-discovery. It depicts self-reflection as an ongoing journey, with my hands poised so that my fingertips are always reaching and interpreting what I find.

     

    The clouds are another method for me to shape meaning from random shapes and try to force connections even when I know so little.

     

    The vibrant colors are those of the Colombian flag. Though raised in the US, my Latiné identity has shaped my life experience whether I have liked it or not. #Throwback to walking down W. Baltimore Street after the 2016 election and having a man I did not know shout at me, “You better get your green card together darling because Trump is going to deport all of you.”

     

    The title is a lyric borrowed from the Joni Mitchell song, "Both Sides Now." As Joni sings, “I really don’t know life at all.” My paintings are part of an endless journey to uncover the depths of our own identities.

    Available for Purchase
  • Miss Baltimore
    Miss Baltimore

    Miss Baltimore, Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 36” x 24”, 2024. 

    Available for Purchase
  • Kingdom
    Kingdom

    Kingdom, Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 36” x 48”, 2024.

    This painting is about observing the world from a slight distance. The lush green around him contrasts with the cooler tones and the bare trees on his face, showing that divide between the outer world and his inner space. There is peace in creating your own kingdom—a space where you’re still grounded in the space around you, but in control of your own energy.

    Available for Purchase
    •

    • Legacies

    Legacies is a series of portraits in a more traditional (to me, HA!) style that delves into familial connections, the passage of time, and the weight of all we carry into our present selves. Legacies is a deeply personal collection of works in which I memorialize my journal through self portraits and paintings of dear members of the family I was adopted into. I wish to honor the memories of those no longer with me and highlight the impact that they have on me.

    • How Great Thou Art (My Mom-mom and Pop-pop)
      How Great Thou Art (My Mom-mom and Pop-pop)

      How Great Thou Art (My Mom-mom and Pop-pop), Lillian Jacobson, Oil on panel, 18” x 24”, 2023.

      How Great Thou Art (My Mom-mom and Pop-pop) is a work to honor my Mother's parents, showing their continual presence in my life. They are no longer in this world, but they continue to visit me in my dreams often. This painting depicts these visits and how their togetherness in their visits bring me peace.

    • Lillian is Tired.
      Lillian is Tired.

      Lillian is Tired. Lillian Jacobson, Oil on canvas, 24” x 30”, 2024.

      Lillian is Tired is a self-portrait capturing the exhaustion felt by many in today's world, particularly those navigating the intersecting identities of being a working-class individual and a woman of color in the U.S. in 2024. The painting shows me in a pink floral robe and gold hoop earrings, my head turned to the side, with a multi-color shadow cast behind me. The shadow contrasts the plain beige wall, showing the enduring presence of creativity in exhaustion and day-to-day monotony.

      Available for Purchase
    •