Jylian Gustlin was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the technological innovations of the Silicon Valley have profoundly influenced both her passions and her art. Although she was only one semester away from earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics, Jylian left her program to attend the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. In her artwork, Jylian merges the capabilities of modern technology with traditional techniques, achieving effects such as complex layering—similar to those seen in programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator—using only acrylic and oil paints. She is driven by a desire to push the creative boundaries of both digital tools and traditional mediums. Her process involves drawing, painting, and scratching with materials like epoxy resin, oil and acrylic paints, charcoal, wax, gold leaf, pastels, and graphite to discover their unique effects.
Jylian has held a lifelong love for Bay Area Figurative artists, and they have always been an inspiring part of her work process. The characters in her work are frequently set in an alien-like, futuristic landscape that is both moody and brooding. In recent years, she has focused on a series of paintings, both abstract and representational, that explore Fibonacci mathematical theories. These works investigate the connections between Fibonacci numbers, flower petals, and musical scales, with a focus on the geometries of spirals and rectangles. Jylian's ongoing fascination with the intersection of science, mathematics, and art continues to drive her creative exploration.