Artist Jamie Lynn Gilmore was born and raised amidst the agricultural beauty of California’s North Valley. The culturally rich and bountiful town of Chico, nestled within the fertile Sacramento Valley, nurtured her creative talents from a very young age. Her grandparents were the first commercial kiwi farmers in California. Her parents, Pat and Linda Gilmore, both very artistic people, had a great influence in Jamie’s life. Her father, a bonsai artist, taught her patience. Her mother, a devout worshipper of plants taught her working meditation and creative intuition.

Art was always of great interest to Jamie. As an only child, she spent most of her free time drawing. She ended up earning a Bachelors degree in art from California State University at Chico. She was also deeply interested in environmental issues and took many classes that helped to shape her ecologically conscious lifestyle.

From Chico, she moved to Eugene, Oregon. She delivered juice for an organic juice cooperative and designed whimsical advertisements for the company. The towns commitment and enthusiasm for “treading lightly upon the Earth”, deepened her commitment to doing so.

After tiring of rainy Eugene weather, Jamie moved back to sunny Northern California…this time landing in the tiny town of Dunsmuir at the base of the mighty Mount Shasta. There, she helped a well known, colorful chef from Sardinia run her Mediterranean restaurant. She learned to meld not only the colors of hand selected produce, but also their flavors…she discovered her passion for the healing powers of food, fresh herbs, spices, oils and vinegars. The restaurants’ Mediterranean herb garden added to her already deep love of plants.

During this time, she traveled around Europe and North Africa… France, Paris, Switzerland, Portugal, London, Amsterdam, Austria and Morocco. She developed an appreciation for the European aesthetic.

Jamie met her partner, James Patitucci, also an artist, in Dunsmuir, CA. Together they moved to Hawaii in 2003. They now live on the Big Islands Ka’u coast. They are committed to gradually replacing the existing nonnative flora with rare and native Hawaiian plants adapted to their region. All of Jamie’s life experiences,, coupled with Hawaii’s amazing botanical palette, have inspired the development of her unique style. The organic symmetry of her home towns’ almond and fruit orchards are evident in the repetition of botanical forms in each of her paintings. The plight of Native Hawaiian endangered plants sparks her environmental consciousness. With her art, she hopes to help educate people about the delicate balance between development and the defenseless botanical world…while creating something beautiful to be enjoyed.